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THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Second text book on the new life that shall lead man from 
weakness, disease, and death, to freedom from these things, 
and to strength and power before unknown. 
t Companion book to "The Way to Life and Immortality." 



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By R. Swinburne Clymer 

Copyrighted 1914 By R. Swinburne Clymer. 
All Rights Reserved. 



Printed by 

The Philqsophical Publishing Co., 

Allentown, Pa. 



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INTRODUCTORY 

Humanity has reached a crisis. That this is true is 
admitted by all scholars, even by the most conservative 
We have reached a point that demands a change. Either 
there must be a step forward or there will be a retrench- 
ment from the plane we now occupy. 

That it is possible for us to go backward, to retro- 
grade, is a thing too appalling even to consider, especial- 
ly when we bear in mind that of the vast multitudes of 
human beings there are comparatively few who truly live, 
that comparatively few are masters of their own actions, 
thinking for themselves, fearing neither orthodox opinions 
cf whatsoever sort nor legislative enactments which might 
interfere with freedom. 

Indeed few men are free. But it mu,st be admitted 
that there are some who are bound by no creed, no law, 
no philosophy, except the Great Law of Good. These 
men would rather do good than to do right. It is possible 
in some instances for one to do right without doing good, 
especially in a world and among people where injustice 
reigns supreme. Men who follow the law of Goodness 
are masters. It is no small matter to stand alone, and, 
under all circumstances, to obey the Law of Goodness. 

The men of freedom, the men who obey the dictates 
of goodness, are indeed few in comparison with the vast 
multitudes who are slaves, slaves in a thousand different 
ways and to a thousand different things. They are slaves 
to their own desires and appetites. They desire and se- 
cure that which will do them no good, that which works 



6 THE WAV TO GODHO'OD 

harm and weakness. They have an appetite for those 
things which bring neither health nor strength. They are 
slaves to deceptive, negative, destructive teachings, which 
hold them in bondage and cause them even to fear to 
think for themselves. They are slaves to beliefs which 
are founded on superstition, and which give them no free- 
dom of thought. To believe in anything — a creed, a phil- 
osophy, or a law — that permits not free thought, is slav- 
ery of the worst kind. 

But slavery does not end there. Allegiance to any 
creed, to any philosophy, to any science, so-called, which 
does not permit freedom of thought also brings with it 
slavery to personalities, to those who live only for the 
purpose of exploitation. Being slaves to negative thoughts, 
desires, appetites, they are an easy prey to the few men 
and women who live upon the efforts of others. These 
exploiters of others are men and women of little souls. 
They are masterful in certain directions. But they are 
not bound to any moral code ; and the Law is not for them. 
They live as the vampires of the forest live, not by useful 
labor, but upon the blood, upon the vitality, upon the flesh, 
of their victims. This is the state of mankind at the 
present time, at this crisis. Humanity is at the turning 
of the ways. And, if retrogression should result, both the 
exploiters and the exploited will go down. 

But it is not the fiat of the ages that we should turn 
back. The New Commandment is given — FORWARD, 
EVER FORWARD, to greater things, to freedom of be- 
ing, to MANHOOD, the fir f st indication of Godhood, or 
supermanhood. 

The multitudes have been taught simply to believe. 
They have not been taught to live, to be, to gain health and 
strength and power. Through their beliefs, they have 
been made slaves, slaves not only to others, but, first of all, 
to themselves, to their own thoughts, desires and appetites. 



THE WAY TO" GODHOOD 7 

Consequently, they are easily enslaved by others in various 
ways. It is because of ignorance that men are not free. 
Give man true knowledge, and he will not remain the serf. 
Give him understanding, and the bondage that holds him 
will be forced to give way. 

It \s for this reason that the New Commandment is 
given to men — that they may gain freedom — freedom from 
the narrowness of self, first of ^all ; freedom from passion; 
freedom form fear, freedom from weakness and disease. 
Greatest of all, freedom from all those things which are 
brought upon man through belief in negative doctrines, 
dcctrines of weakness, doctrines that inculcate "worm-of- 
the-dust" principles. There can be no strength where 
mind is bound by doctrines of this type. 

The New Doctrine teachers individual responsibility. 
It inspires men to be up and doing, to think for them- 
selves and to bear the consequences of their thoughts, 
and of their acts, without flinching. The man who enters 
business for himself does so with the intention of trying 
il, to ,succeed or to fail, and to bear the consequences of 
the test. As man enters business with no absolute guaran- 
tee of success, so must all men enter life, think for them- 
selves, act according to their instincts and best judgment. 
Yet must they always remember the one great Law : to 
think nothing, do nothing, desire nothing, that may bring 
borm or sorrow, pain or misery, either to themselves or 
to another. This is the great commandment. It includes 
all other commandments that men have ever known. 

It is, in no wi,se, the policy of this book to condemn 
either the poor man or the man of impaired health, or the 
man of wretchedness and misery. It is the mission of the 
New Commandment to condemn conditions and environ- 
ments, negative philosophies and doctrines, which enslave 
mankind. It is the mission of the New Commandment 
to point out the way to freedom. Without apology, how- 



8 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

ever, the New Commandment condemns the actions of 
those who exploit the innocent and the weak and helpless. 
Nevertheless, it does not indiscriminately condemn wealth 
and all those who have acquired wealth. For it is to be 
recognized that wealth may be gained honestly. Wealth 
that is not gained at the expense of others or through 
exploitation of the weak and the innocent, is not to be con- 
demned. 

Nor is it the mission of the New Commandment to 
condemn all religion, all philosophies, all science. Far 
from it, for many of them are teaching constructive doc- 
trines, and are in no wise responsible for the negative doc- 
trines that are reducing the human family to slavery of 
cne kind or another. It i,s the mission of the New Com- 
mandment to teach a doctrine that will, if lived, lead man 
to health, to strength, to possessions that are necessary 
to happiness, and finally to Immortality and to Sonship 
with the Father of all. 

The New Commandment recognizes that something 
more than belief and faith is necessary to the true life. It 
recognizes that faith alone, faith without works, is dead. 
Paith that does not show its sincerity in works is a false 
anchorage, which seemingly gives security, a promise of 
power, but which in reality is a bondage from which few 
are able to free themselves. The New Commandment de- 
mands of mankind more faith, a faith great enough, strong 
enough, to cause him to live and to think according to the 
faith that he professes. 

The New Commandment teaches against mental slav- 
ery, against the doctrine of suffering, against the desira- 
bility of suffering. It teaches that it is not necessary for 
man to seek or invite sorrow and suffering in order to 
reach the goal of Immortality, or Peace Eternal. The 
New Commandment teaches that man should seek peace 
pf mind, happiness, and innocent pleasures. When ( suf- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 9 

fering does come, we should accept it as men, not in blind 
faith nor in the necessity of it, but with open mind, with 
a searching mind. He should seek the cause of suffer- 
ing, of misery, and of gloom. Then he should seek to re- 
move the cause, since there is no just reason why man 
should suffer except disobedience of natural and divine 
law. The New Commandment teaches that pleasures are 
commendable, and that man should seek for them. If 
normal and natural, they are not destructive, but are high- 
ly constructive and elevating. 

Man should go to the child for examples of normal, 
natural living. The child is natural. It is free from de- 
pressing, destructive beliefs and ideas. It accepts pleas- 
ure, as they come. It manifests honest, sincere enjoyment 
of pleasure. E<xcept in those cases in which the child has 
already learned evil ways from others, it indulges in 
wholesome activities. 

In order to be at his best, in order to reach the high- 
est degree of strength and culture, man must understand 
certain laws. Among these, and by no means of minor 
importance, are those laws which have to do with the reg- 
ulation of daily life. In general, at least, he must accept 
the three divisions of time — one part of the day for rest, 
cne part of labor, and one part for pleasure, recreation, 
study, and development of both body and soul. All men, 
the manual laborer as well as the highest executive, should 
honor this general division of the day. 

The New Commandment makes physical strength 
and mental well-being of the first importance. Mental 
strength depends upon physical, while strength of soul de- 
pends upon mental vigor, mental health, and mental pur- 
ity. Moral strength of the highest degree is impossible 
where there is physical weakness or mental derangement. 
Consequently, it is of prime importance to understand 
those laws which have to do with perfect health. 



10 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Laws that concern man's well-being physically, men- 
tally, and spiritually cannot, in their highest degree, be en- 
forced by legislative enactments. Only in slight degree, 
can man be controlled by external laws. Obedience to the 
laws that pertain to one's highest welfare must be prompt- 
ed from within one's own being. Mankind must be taught 
a correct philosophy, a constructive religion, so that they 
will come to understand that it is to their own best inter- 
ests to obfy the correct law. They must obey not because 
some one else demands it or desires it, not because a law 
is enforced by state or by an organization, but because 
their own sense of duty demands it. 

The New Commandment holds that a sin against the 
body is a ( s grievous as a sin against the soul. Whether 
it be a deliberate act that injures the body or whether it 
be neglect in caring for the body, it is a violation of the 
laws of health and strength and efficiency. The soul 
and the body are equal in importance. One is the temple 
of God, while the other is potentially the Son of God. 

The New Commandment teaches men to seek for hap- 
piness in this world, on this plane of being. It is man's 
heritage to be happy. If he does not find happiness, he 
is himself at fault; and he fails to find it because of igno- 
rance or disobedience. Man was not placed on earth in 
order that he should mourn all the days of his life, but 
that he might experience all conditions and choose those 
things for life which he finds good and which bring harm 
to none. 

Love is the treasure for which all men seek. Love 
should be the attracting point in life. For he who finds 
love finds all else, since life cannot be at its highest with- 
out love. Love is of two kinds — love for our fellow men 
and love for God. Love for our kind on the human plane 
is the germ, the root, from which !love for God springs. 

The New Commandment condemns absolutely 'love 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 11 

of ease," a thing that is gradually leading humanity into 
weakness and decay. Love of ease is nothing else than 
sluggishness of life. It is spiritual beggari,sm. The 
healthy, strong human being, in whom there is a living 
spark of divinity, desires to be a creator. He desires to 
labor, to accomplish; and love of ease in man is a positive 
sign of decay. 

The New Commandment teaches that labor is honor- 
able. Labor of some worthy, constructive kind is neces- 
sary for all, the rich as well as the poor; and whoever 
does not perform some useful labor gradually falls into de- 
cay, and brings about his own destruction. Those nations 
in the past who followed pastoral occupations, where labor 
in the fields and the woods was necessary, were the strong- 
est, the healthiest, the happiest, and the most Godlike peo- 
ple of the world. Labor is necessary to all men, no matter 
what their station in life, if they would be normal and nat- 
ural and healthy and strong, both physically and mentally, 
and if they would be more like God, their Creator. 

The New Commandment, based on Manhood leading 
to Godhood, is a religion that is life itself. It is a religion 
of the heart and the mind, of the soul and the body. It 
is a religion that includes the whole being. It is a holy 
religion. Nor is it worship of Nature in any sense of the 
word. It glorifies Nature, however. It glorifies human- 
ity, in order that the Soul of Man, the Son of God, and 
God himself, may be glorified therein. 

The New Commandment teaches freedom, and com- 
mands all men to seek for liberty, but liberty that is of the 
self and not at the expense of one's fellow creature. 

Fraternally, 

THE AUTHOR. 
"Beverly," January 13th, 1914. 



12 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 



CHAPTER ONE 

MANHOOD AND RESPONSIBILITY, THE GOAL. 

For long centuries, negativeness had been the rule 
among mankind. True, it is freely admitted that during 
these centuries there have been a few men who have ruled 
with an iron hand. These were positive in the extreme. 
But the vast multitudes under these men were practically 
slaves; for theirs was the duty to obey the slightest wish 
of those in power. They held no thought contrary to the 
thoughts of the ruler. If the ruler said war, all were 
ready to obey the call. If he said work, all were ready 
for work. 

This i,s negativeness. There is no individual respon- 
sibility attached to such a life. The life is ruled by others, 
and on them falls the actual responsibility. 

How ignoble is the life that is ruled by another mind ! 
How ignoble, the life that is controlled by another in all its 
actions, aye, even in its thoughts! The act ( s committed by 
those who are mere slaves to the behests of another bring 
with them a certain train of thought, even a certain relig- 
ious belief; and, eventually, the one so controlled by an- 
other has lost all sense of responsibility, even in the ex- 
ercise of judgment. 

But the spirit of the long ago is fast passing away — 
the spirit of supreme negativeness. The new age has be- 
gun, the age of activity and positiveness. In the new age, 
gradually, though it may be slowly, men will, first of all, 
begin to think for themselves. More than this, they will 
not shrink from the responsibility of acting according to 



14 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

their thought. This will make of man an individual, it 
will give him manhood. 

Throughout the centuries, it has been generally ac- 
cepted, that, if an individual obeys the laws of the land 
and if he gives a reasonable support to the religious form 
that- receives the sanction of the ruling power, he there- 
by meets the conditions of being a man. But that idea is 
dead and gone. No longer is an individual thought of as a 
man simply because he i,s of the male sex. 

To be a man in the true sense demands that he must 
think and act for himself. He must have the courage of 
his. own convictions. To do this and that, simply for the 
sake of winning the approval of some friend or some one 
in authority, to act thus and so simply because some one in 
power advocates it, does not meet the conditions of man- 
hood and individual responsibility. 

The way to manhood i,s the way to power. But it 
must be understood that the way to manhood and power is 
the way of individual responsibility. But with responsi- 
bility comes the strength to be responsible, the strength to 
carry and to shoulder greater responsibility. This brings 
out individuality in man. It develops manhood. And he 
who reaches manhood's true estate is well on the way to 
Godhood. 

The new doctrine, the coming science-religion-philoso- 
phy, is the only law a strong man needs. Unles ( s he is a 
weakling, he does not need external laws to force him to 
do thus and so. The new doctrine does not lay down def- 
inite rules of action. It is a system of life. It teaches man 
|S0 to think, so to live, so to act, as to bring out the poten- 
tial power in himself, thereby developing latent manhood. 
Through accepting the responsibility that rests upon him, 
he gains more and more strength, his manhood becomes 
more and more reliable, and he is led on and on toward 
.Godhood, 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 15 

Man cannot solve the problem of existence by ignor- 
ing the duties of life, by holding himself in a negative ( state, 
by taking everything for granted, by looking upon life as 
an evil in itself, or by accepting things as they come, wheth- 
er good or not good, with no effort to improve them. 

The new doctrine proposes that man must take up the 
duties of life actively and positively. He must carefully 
consider all calls that are made upon him. He must hold 
himself in an active, positive state, but with no antagonism 
toward anything whatever, never with hate or malice 
toward any person or any condition. He must ever de- 
fend the right, the true self, defending it actively and pos- 
itively, but with no malice or hatred or animosity, with no 
censure or harsh judgment, or ill-will, with no grudge or 
bitterness or envy. This — to be free from antagonism and 
censue of every type and description — is a prime essen- 
tial of the positive type of mind which is unreservedly ad- 
vocated by the New Commandment. 

The New Commandment teaches man to look upon life 
as good. Existence in the present state is desirable, and 
is a positive and absolute good. Life on the present plane 
is not only necessary, but even glorious. If man accepts 
it as such, and considers every duty a pleasure, and if he 
does everything with the thought that it is for the best — by 
this attitude of mind, he shows himself a man in the true 
sense of the word. By persisting in thi,s attitude of mind 
and by executing the duties of life in this spirit, he shows 
himself more than a man. By executing the duties of life 
in this wholesome positive spirit, he manifests the possi- 
bility of attaining Godhood. 

Life is not an evil, nor are the acts of the true life an 
evil. Nor are the pleasures of life an evil. They become 
evil only when indulgence in them results in harm either to 
the self or to another. Not otherwise are they evil. All 
Jhings that come to man are for a purpose. By denying 



16 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

them or by accounting them evil, we accomplish nothing. 
Neither do we accomplish anything, on the other hand, by 
meekly accepting all things as something to be accepted or 
as necessary evils to be endured. To accept things thus 
makes of man nothing more nor less than a mere negative 
machine, a nothingness. 

Things which come to us in life are either to be ac- 
cepted and acted on or they are to be cast aside as unworthy 
of our acceptance and unworthy of our performance. We 
are to give them careful consideration in order to deter- 
mine whether they represent the positive or the negative 
side of life. If the negative, we should reject them or 
extract the positive aspects from the negative and encour- 
age only the positive features. 

It matters not whether some one wishes to force cer- 
tain conditions upon us, this is no excuse for our accept- 
ing them. Whether they come before us in the guise of 
duty or whether some one apparently stronger than we our- 
selves wants to pres,s them upon us, the New Command- 
ment teaches that the mode of procedure is the same in so 
far as we are concerned. We are to consider the matter 
thoroughly, and carefully weigh conditions to determine 
whether they are for the good of ourselves and of other,s. 
If careful weighing of conditions proves that there is an 
advantage in accepting, then it is our duty to do so, even 
though we may not want to. For, in refusing, we refuse 
our duty and thereby become more negative, more the 
slave to conditions, more in the coils of the destructive 
pcrpent. 

If, however, investigation shows that the proffered con- 
ditions are detrimental in that they may weaken us or bring 
disadvantage or bring advantage attended by injury to our- 
selves or others, then it is our duty to refuse them. The 
New Commandment demands that we shall refuse them 
even though great power and great influence are brought 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 17 

to bear to force us to do otherwise. 

The New Commandment, "Be a Man that thou mayst 
become a god," insists that each individual is a free agent, 
and that no one can offer the excuse that he is forced to 
do thus and so. 

Under no consideration is life to be accounted evil. 
It never has been evil and never will be, unless the one 
who lives it makes it so of his own free choice. Through 
the experiences of life, either we become men and women, 
individuals, beings gradually tending, by means of our own 
manhood and womanhood, toward Godhood. 

To the soul, life i ( s a kindergarten. Through exist- 
ence in the present state and on the present plane, we gain 
experience. It is here that we learn our lessons. It is here 
that we are tested, as the ore is tested in the furnace, only 
with the difference that the ore has no power of choice and 
must give up its gold ; whereas, man, through the power of 
free-will, may refuse to liberate the gold. The ore accepts 
the conditions of the furnace and sets free its gold. It is 
possible for man to accept conditions as a helpless slave, 
and, even though he may suffer severely under the heat of 
the testing, he may refuse to learn the lesson and refuse 
to appropriate its blessings. With man, something more 
than mere acceptance of conditions is necessary. He must 
accept in the right spirit. He must learn through the ex- 
perience, and obey. He must let go of the dross, and love 
the gold into expression. This is the positive attitude of 
mind. This manifests manhood and a responsible attitude 
toward life's conditions. 

Life, as we know it, is necessary for the soul and also 
necessary for the body. Without life on this plane, the 
soul could not become individualized, could not gain experi- 
ence, could not become like the gods. The growth that re- 
sults from wise experience can come only through being 
positive at all times, the master of self, the .slave of none, 



18 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

choosing the things that are an advantage and refusing the 
things that are a disadvantage. 

The positive attitude of mind requires courage. But, 
as in all things el,se, courage grows through deliberate 
choice, on the one hand, through deliberate refusal, on the 
other. With courage comes strength, and with strength 
comes greater power to do and to accomplish. 

The individual who accepts all things as they come, 
with no effort to master or to improve them is a negative 
life. The negative life is always the weak, diseased, un- 
fruitful life. Through negativeness comes pessimism. 
Pessimism i,s like the water standing in the pool that has no 
outlet. It becomes a deadly poison. Such a poison and 
malaria-breeding condition is pessimism in the heart of 
man. There is strength and power in every individual, 
though it may be in an inert state. He who accepts all 
things as they come, thinking them to be evils which must 
be endured, is like the stagnant pool of water. He never 
uses his powers and his capabilities. He fails to become 
strong; for he gives no opportunity to the Man within, the 
god in embryo, to assert himself. A,s a result, his life be- 
comes stagnant and eventually dies out, as the pool of wa- 
ter dries up and loses its individuality. 

The New Commandment teaches the doctrine of man- 
hood, of strength, of self-government. The individual who 
accepts the spirit of the command, "Be a man and thou 
mayst be a god," needs not to be governed by laws, by gov- 
ernments, by armies. He sees the glory and the beauty of 
life, and is too much of an entity ,too much of a man, to do 
that which may harm either himself or others. To him, 
life is glorious. He recognizes that life here is the mean,s 
to a greater, life, and that every act performed with full 
sanction of the reason for it will make the doer stronger 
and more of a man, and therefore nearer to Godhood. 

Jo such an individual, may come the time when de- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 19 

mands will be made upon him to do those things which do 
not fit into the true life and which do not receive the .sanc- 
tion of the command to be a man in order that one may be- 
come a god. These demands may come from tho^e who are 
near and dear to him. But, if he realizes that the things 
demanded of him do not coincide with the Higher Ideal to 
which he has consecrated his life, he must summon all cour- 
age and strength to withstand their entreaties. He must 
assert his individuality, and call upon ail the forces of his 
being, in order to obey the dictates of his enlightened con- 
science. 

His refusal to comply with the wishes of his loved ones, 
may give rise to many conditions hard to meet, conditions 
unforeseen and unbelievable, even to the mqst vivid imag- 
ination. But, no matter what the result or the outcome, to 
him, it is always the same. He will face the crisis with firm, 
ness and with courage. He will not go counter to, or com- 
promise, his convictions of right. Nevertheless, — and note 
well this point — the New Commandment, "Be a Man," de- 
mands that, in it all and through it all, he shall entertain 
no censure, no malice, no ill-will, no antagonism, no bitter- 
ness, towards those who are instrumental in placing him in 
such a crisis. The New Commandment, which exacts of 
every individual manhood, honor, and a sense of responsi- 
bility, as well as a prophetic recognition of Godhood, is also 
exacting in its demands that, in it all and through it all, he 
shall be free from resentment and harsh judgment toward ' 
conditions as well as personalities. 

This is the meaning of a positive state of mind as op- 
posed to a negative. Not only is the positive mind firm 
in the position that it deliberately takes, but it is also free 
from antagonism toward those who are the instruments of 
testing its strength. Not only does it fight to the bitter end 
for its best understanding of right, but it al,so preserves 
equanimity of spirit and a rig-id control over itself, allows 



20 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

ing no personal grudge or malice to gain entrance into the 
sacred precincts over which the New Commandment is es- 
tablishing its power. 

It is not an impossibility for one to give hi,s life rather 
than to forfeit allegiance to the Ideal Standard he has 
placed before himself. But, by losing his life in the con- 
test of right, he only gains a greater life. While he who 
yields to carnal authority when divine authority bids him 
Nay, becomes slave to carnal forces. In this way, he ,sells 
his birthright, and enters serfdom to those who have forced 
him to violate the command to be a Man and thereby even- 
tually to become a god. 

The New Commandment, with all its pronounced em- 
phasis upon firmness, and positiveness as opposed to nega- 
tivene^s and destruction, by no means advocates antago- 
nism to establish authority. On the contrary, obedience 
thereto, in so far as it is possible, is clearly and unmistakably 
encouraged. Strict obedience to the Law of Right and of 
Goodness, above all else, it teaches. Refusal to comply 
with the wish of friend and enemy alike is demanded when 
compliance means to degrade the Divine Spark, which i,s 
indeed both "author and finisher" of the command, "Be a 
Man and thou mayst be a god." 

The doctrine of manhood and responsibility teaches not 
nihilism. It teaches absolute individuality. It does not 
teach a return to nothingness, as the goal and as the only 
■satisfactory outcome of the bane and the evil of existence. 
On the contrary, it teaches a return to Godhood, as the 
goal and as the natural and inevitable outcome of living the 
life that exalts manhood and develops the Godhood latent 
in man. As the natural outcome of the beauty and the 
glory of existence, it anticipates Individualized God Con- 
sciousness — this, the goal, far from nihilism and lo,ss of 
identity in the Great Sea of Universal Substance ! 

In the life of those who accept the New Command- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 21 

ment as their standard, hate and other forms of destructive 
ness can have no place, for the reason that hate and kin- 
dred forms of destructiveness can accomplish nothing. No 
matter what demands may be made upon one, no matter 
how unreasonable or unjust, to hate those who press hard 
and cruel conditions upon him and to feel malice toward 
them, does not add ,strength to resist the demands and to 
surmount the obstacles placed in his way. This one point 
is the foundation argument — the basic reason — for not giv- 
ing way to negative and destructive states of mind. Where- 
as — to repeat by stating the same thought affirmatively — by 
holding one's rnind positively and actively free from hate 
and ill-will toward the agents of undesirable measures, he 
gains marvellous strength and power, which may be used 
in resisting the demands and in surmounting the obstacles 
placed in his way. Hate and malice, being in themselves 
negative and evil, ally the soul in which they are held with 
the very forces that demand unreasonable things of him, 
and thereby he is weakened. 

The true spirit of resistance is simply to consider the 
demands as wrong and not to comply, and yet to recognize 
that those who make the demand have not yet learned the 
Law, and therefore are not to be judged harshly for their 
point of view. The true spirit of resistance is firm in its 
refusal, but it is equally firm in maintaining the positive at- 
titude of kindness and non-censure toward all parties in- 
volved. 

Thus it is seen that hate and malice are never called 
for, and that good never comers from them. A summing 
up of all the strength of the being is necessary for emer- 
gencies. A love power that recognizes the good of exist- 
ence and the right of choice, a love power that also gives 
to others the right of choice, the right to live their lives ac- 
cording to their standard — this is a requisite of the com- 
mand, "Be a Man and thou mayst be a god." Firmness with 



22 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

one's self is demanded, not only the firmness that holds one 
true to one's own standard of right, but the firmness that 
refuses to interfere, even in thought and feeling, with the 
liberty of others. This is the attitude of mind that brings 
power ; and, though temporary suffering may come from it, 
such suffering actually brings greater power and greater 
manhood, and allies one more closely with the Godhead. 

Furthermore, it must be remembered that to comply 
with an unjust demand may, for the time being, give free- 
dom. But it is quite possible that this freedom and the 
consequent compliance with an unjust request may put 
the one granting it in a bondage extending through ages, and 
may even end in complete destruction of that which should 
have become, first of all, an individual, a Man, and, lastly, 
a god. For be it remembered that Godhood can never be 
reached except by the way of manhood and individuality. 

In life, there are but two paths. The one is the path 
of negativeness and pessimism. It grows out of the belief 
that existence itself is evil and undesirable, and that the 
only way to become free from it is to comply with every re- 
quest and every urge, and to offer no resistance whatever 
to them, no matter what their nature. It grows out of the 
mistaken notion that a machine-like acceptance of all con- 
ditions, a resignation that questions not, a submission that 
meekly acquiesces and patiently endures, ends eventually 
in a state of glory. According to the new doctrine, rather 
than leading to a state of glory, it lea^s to destruction and 
annihilation. For negativeness in itself is a state of de- 
struction, because, through negativeness, everything in the 
system is poisoned, and even the good that might be there- 
in, like the water in the stagnant pool, is become a poison. 
This state of being ends in nihilism; for it is the negative, 
nihilistic state. There is no strength, manhood is missing; 
and, where manhood is missing, Godhood cannot be found. 

The other path is the path of positiveness and otpi- 



THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 23 

mism. Let there be no misconception regarding the words, 
positive and po ( sitiveness. Let it be emphasized that they 
do not refer to the state of mind that thinks itself alone in 
the right, nor do they refer to a pompous stubbornness nor 
to a disagreeable aggressiveness in pushing one's own claim 
or one's own views. These words refer to the attitude of 
mind that looks upon life and existence on this plane as 
beneficent in its purposes and in its possibilities. The pos- 
itive attitude examines all things with open mind and 
heart, and calmly rejects that which savors of destructive- 
ness. It determines its act,s by whether they promise to be 
of advantage followed by no disadvantage, by whether they 
promise good results attended by no detrimental effects. 
More than this, the positive attitude refuses to harbour de- 
structive thought and feeling toward any person or condi- 
tion. Thi,s is one of the most truly essential conditions of 
true positiveness. It is apt to be overlooked as a requisite 
of the positive attitude. That love and goodness and kind- 
ness in judgment of others, and generosity of spirit toward 
both men and things, are active, positive, strong, virile vir- 
tues, is a truth that needs pronounced and unsparing em- 
phasis. These are the essentials of strength and manhood 
and honor. The day is past when brutality and cruelty and 
domineering aggressiveness are to be associated with the 
positive attitude of mind. Ever and always is the positive 
attitude optimistic and hopeful; for it is based on the law 
of constructiveness and growth. 

This is the path that leads to manhood. In every un- 
worthy impulse resisted, there is increased strength. The 
personality becomes the individuality, and eventually the 
individuality rises to Godhood. 

The disappointments of life cannot be avoided by shun- 
ning the responsibilities of life. The life that undertakes 
to shun disappointments is a continual disappointment in it- 
self. It is a life that is fundamentally negative. It is a 



24 THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 

reed-like life, which is blown this way and that by every 
gust of wind, by every opinion, never at peace with itself 
or with the work in which it is engaged, never finding hap- 
piness, but ever meeting disappointments and mfsery, full 
of censure and bitterness because conditions are not as the 
negative mind thinks they should be. 

Such a life, though lived under the belief that it is hon- 
oring God, is, nevertheless, tending continually toward ni- 
hilism ( so long as it holds the negative point-of-view toward 
all things. With nihilism, there is neither responsibility nor 
reward, neither love nor hate. With nihilism, there is 
nothing except a long dream of nothingness, from which 
there is no awakening; for the latent power of the individ- 
ual has passed on to the great chasm of nothingness, there 
to be reformed, it may be, and, possibly, to be made use of 
by another entity. The old being has passed away, it has 
been changed, not by the individual, but by the power of 
the Great Law, which either forces us to bring out all latent 
possibilities within us or does it for us. Note this point, 
however; when the Law does it for us, it takes the right 
cf individuality from us, and another being is given the op- 
portunity of developing into individuality the Divine Spark 
that had been ours. This is the price, the reward, of ni- 
hilism. 

Life itself is a responsibility. The sooner mankind 
comes to a recognition of this fact, the better it will be. 
The sooner this fact is understood, the sooner will a true, 
natural, divine, beautiful state of existence on this plane be 
■brought about, wherein all will accept life as worthy and 
desirable. Responsibility is the way to manhood. Man- 
hood is the way to Godhood and deific power and deific con- 
ciousness. 



CHAPTER TWO 

HEAVEN, THE STATE OF HAPPINESS, MUST BE 
FOUND ON EARTH. 

Prevalent among all former schools of religion and 
philosophy has been the belief that earthly happiness is a 
dream, an impossibility, and that, even if it were possible 
for man to know happiness on earth, it would be a mortal 
sin to seek happiness. Contrary to this doctrine, the New 
Commandment teaches, absolutely and without qualification, 
that earthly happiness i,s a possibility, nay, even more, that 
it is a necessity, since those who do not find peace and hap- 
piness on this plane will not find it on any other plane of 
being, that for them peace and happiness do not exist. 

There may be, however, different standard^ in regard 
to what constitutes peace and happiness. If the one crite- 
rion of happiness is earthly possessions and carnal sen,se- 
delights, then, the New Commandment agrees with the 
prevalent teaching that it is a snare and a delusion, a phan- 
tom of mortal mind, a chimera, even an impossibility. The 
New Commandment holds the standard that peace and hap- 
piness come through living in harmony with the laws of 
God and of Nature. When man lives in harmony with Na- 
ture and his God, the mind finds peace and the conscience 
gives rest. The two — a peaceful mind and a restful con- 
science — constitute^ true happiness. This type of happi- 
ness is independent of, and superior to, earthly possessions. 

Happiness is a factor to which all men have right. In 
other wordjS, all men can find happiness if they seek for it 
according to the laws of true happiness. Peace and hap- 
piness are as natural to the true human being as are eating 



26 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

and sleeping; in fact, they form a part of his life, as do eat- 
ing and sleeping. So interrelated, indeed, are happiness 
and the ordinary functions of life that one can not be thor- 
oughly happy if normal functioning of physical organs is 
interfered with. Happiness depends in part upon good 
health. 

Good health, nevertheless, which is simply the result 
or a natural life, is not the only means to happiness and 
peace. Even with good health, one cannot be entirely con- 
tented and at peace, unles ( s he 1 possesses a conscience that is 
free from accusation and a mind that follows the path 
toward freedom. 

The slave, bound to a master, whether that. master be 
the church, the state, some other agency, or his own "self- 
ish self," is not free. He can become free only by assert- 
ing the power of the inner Man and by exacting of him- 
self obedience to the law of his own divine nature. The 
man that is afraid to think for himself, afraid to do what 
he thinks is right, afraid to assert himself, knows not hap- 
piness and peace. The path of freedom is the path to hap- 
piness. 

The New Commandment exalts manhood and woman- 
hood, and insists that, to become a complete being and to 
exemplify the divine attributes latent in him, was the one 
aim and design of the Father in sending forth His soul- 
children to this plane in bodies of flesh. It is kere they 
gain experience. Here they choose whether to be of free 
mind or whether to be in bondage. No man has greater 
right to h^s ideals than has another. The right to ideas 
is not dependent upon external authority nor upon social 
distinction, but upon degree of wisdom and knowledge. 

Ignorance is a hard and a most cruel taskmaster. 
There can be no freedom so* long as man hugs to his 
breast ignorance and an "all-wise" opinion. He who re- 
fuses to read and to study, who refuses to be a learner of 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 27 

God and Nature, is a slave to ignorance and his own petty 
whims — a slave, iron-bound and shackled. 

In knowledge and wisdom, gained through experience 
and study and application, in the proper use: of knowledge 
and wisdom — in these alone, i,s to be found health, free- 
dom, peace, and happiness. Th^se, without exception, 
must be found by man here and now; for, in the life be- 
yond, bereft of a physical body, man cannot find them. 

Happiness is the birthright of man. If he does not 
find it, whose fault is it? All the laws of Nature pro- 
claim that happiness is the heritage of man. The birds, 
though they may be killed the next moment, ,sing songs 
of joy, caring nothing for a future day or year, but living 
in the Now, happy, joyful, tuneful, because they live ac- 
cording to their nature, obeying the laws of their being, 
abusing no faculty, and being in bondage to no one in the 
bird kingdom. 

Man has the same right and the same privilege. As 
the bird lives in the bird world, absolutely healthful be- 
cause it obeys the laws of its kingdom, so man may live 
in the human kingdom, strong, vigorous, and healthful 
because he is obedient to the laws of his kingdom. As 
the bird forgets the past and thinks not of the future, and 
sings a song of happiness in the present, so may man in 
his world learn from the bird, wisdom, trust, and peace. 
The bird is wise in the wisdom of its kingdom, while man 
is ignorant in respect to himself and his plane of being; 
and, through ignorance, he becomes the slave both to him- 
self and to others. Strange to say, a false philosophy 
and religion have made him believe that happiness is an 
error, a mortal sin, a jsomething not intended for man in 
this world, something, which, however, he may gain in the 
next world as a reward for denying himself happiness in 
thi,s life. Such a religion forgets that, in all things, man 
must make a beginning, and that this world is the world 



28 (THE WAY TO' "GODHO'OD 

of beginnings, and that it may also be the world of end- 
ings, provided the beginning is made here and now. 

An error, indeed, is it to believe that the desire for 
earthly happiness is a chimera that lures man on to de- 
struction, and leads him on to error and ,sin, and that, if 
continually held, will force the soul of man to return to 
earth again and again until it is free from the desire. The 
desire for happiness is simply the desire for peace and 
perfection. No man can be fully perfect until he is en- 
tirely happy. Nor can one reach entire happiness until 
he has reached perfection. The desire for happiness is 
not an error or a sin. Yet equally true is it that the de- 
sire for happiness grows and changes, expands and modi- 
fies itself, as man advances toward perfection. Ultimate 
happiness and ultimate perfection are identical. 

Perfection demands freedom, freedom from disease, 
from ignorance, and from every kind of bondage. Like- 
wise, happiness demands freedom, freedom from disease, 
sin, and bondage to this and that, bondage to beliefs in this 
or that, bondage to opinions because others hold them, 
bondage to conditions because one is too inert or too neg- 
ative to cast off the ,shackles that bind — this is the antith- 
esis of happiness. Happiness ever means freedom, free- 
dom from an accusing conscience, freedom from the bond- 
age that binds to dogmatic opinions. Happiness comes in 
proportion as one gains freedom. 

When man realizes that he is strong enough to stand 
alone, no matter if all the world is against him, strong 
enough to bear what is placed upon him, even though it 
shall swing his body into Eternity, then has he attained a 
good degree of freedom and self-reliance, then has he at- 
tained a good degree of peace and happiness. For he well 
knows that, to stand thus, frees his soul from bondage so 
that he can face the Eternal Judge with a smile. The 
Judge of all, seeing him free from mankind and their 



THE WAY TO .GODHOOD 29 

earthly passions, will be only too glad to honor him who 
has dared to be strong, dared to be a Man and to reach 
Godhood. 

The desire for happiness is a natural de,sire. It is, 
moreover, a spiritual desire, a desire of the soul. With- 
out this desire, man would not seek to raise himself from 
the earth-level, but would be content to live as the beast 
of the field. Practically universal, however, is it among 
mankind to desire some type of happiness. More than 
this, practically universal is it to desire knowledge with 
happiness — knowledge as to why man i,s, and why he is to 
continue to be. 

In desire, we do not find sin and destruction; but we 
find therein the first incentive to something better. True 
desire may take an abnormal course, seeking for that 
which leads to destruction. This, however, i,s not the 
fault of that in man which we call desire, rather is it the 
fault of the man himself ; for he is not a free man, but a 
slave to those things which destroy. 

It is the desire that causes man to seek for wisdom. 
Desire for wisdom is really desire for happiness. There 
must be a reason for desiring wisdom. Surely man does 
not ,seek wisdom for the sake of pain and sorrow. Sel- 
dom., indeed, does he seek it for destruction or for ignoble 
purposes. He seeks wisdom because he longs to be free 
from bondage, the bondage of ignorance and unjust judg- 
ment, the bondage of disease and error, the bondage that 
binds him to others. Freedom from bondage, such as 
this, means happiness and peace to him, not only in an- 
other world, but even in the Here and the Now. 

Twin sister to the desire for happiness is the desire 
for pleasure. Every normal soul desires the innocent pleas- 
ures of life. It i,s an error to consider all pleasure as 
sinful and as belonging to the evil one. Like all things 
else, pleasures are of two clashes, according to the use 



30 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

made of them. Those are good, which bring harm to no 
one. Those are evil, which bring pain and suffering, sor- 
row and disappointment, either to the one indulging in 
them or to others. 

Pleasure in itself and of itself is not evil. Man ha^ 
been given the faculty of enjoyment because it is right for 
him to enjoy. He has been given the opportunity so to 
live, so to act, that pleasures shall be a part of life. For 
this very reason, it i,s right for him to enjoy. For, in or- 
der to enjoy, he must pay the price of enjoyment. To 
pay the price entitles him to the right of enjoyment. 

The fact that man is endowed with a certain possibil- 
ity or faculty is in itself proof that he should make use of 
it. The mere fact that he can be happy, that he can en- 
joy, indicates that he should seek happiness and enjoy- 
ment. He should, indeed, make every effort to find peace 
and happiness, joy and contentment; for these, normally 
gratified, are a part of man's true nature. 

The goal of peace, the sublime ending of life, can 
never be obtained through destroying or obliterating the 
desire for pleasure. In truth, he who tries to avoid peace 
and happiness, even under a mistaken notion that earthly 
joy is forbidden man, becomes through that very view 
of life, an inert machine, a something ungodly and unholy, 
a creature that does nothing useful in life, that makes no 
effort to help his fellow man, that performs no useful 
kbor, a non-entity, which deserves to be shunned by all 
normal beings. On the other hand, he who does a good 
deed to a poor ,soul finds within himself a sense of well- 
doing, a feeling of peace. This is happiness in a degree. 
If this is to be avoided, then, the little deeds of kindness 
are to be avoided. 

No matter what our deed may be, if it is something 
that will help an unfortunate creature, we cannot help 
feeling rhat we have done well In fact, the pleasure and 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 31 

the gladness that we see upon the face and in the eye of 
him whom we favor causes us to feel a like state 1 of hap- 
piness; and this, instead of being an evil, is as food for 
the soul, is to the soul what bread is to the body. 

Let us go out in the sunshine on a spring day and 
see the sun in its springtime glory. The flowers in the 
tree, the birds in the air — all nature, in fact, is wearing a 
smile of gladness. The air is fresh, balmy, and exhilarat- 
ing. If we succeed in forgetting the self for a time, 
we too may be as happy as Nature herself. This, again, 
is an indication of what man may be if he is willing to come 
into harmony with the laws of God and Nature. For God 
is the ruler of Nature, and Nature is always happy, so 
are all things that obey Nature's laws. 

Let us seek happiness. But let us not seek to find it 
at the expense of any living creature. Rather, let us seek 
it through the help we can give to God's creatures. Every 
smile won from God's creatures, every smile won from 
God's children, will send a ray of happiness to your own 
heart and soul, and will add to the store of happiness that 
is becoming part of it. 

He who refuses to seek earthly happiness, and sits 
with gloom on his face and darkness in his heart, refusing 
the instruction offered him by Nature simply because he 
thinks that, through happiness here, he forfeits the right 
to happiness in the Beyond, is entirely selfish, more self- 
ish than the beggar that steals bread from the hungry 
child, allowing the child to go hungry. The beggar may 
do good deeds and partly atone for his wrongs; but he 
who sits, in gloom, refusing all chances of obtaining hap- 
piness and peace, is an alien from God and a stranger to 
lis fellow man. 

It may seem strange to claim that he who seeks not 
happiness is selfish. But, when it is remembered that 
happiness comes only through making others happy, it is 



32 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

clearly seen how utterly selfish and ignoble is he who shuns 
earthly happiness. Manhood is not "part and parcel" of 
such a life. And where manhood is not, Godhood is not. 

Happiness, in its highest degree, is found in forgetting 
the ,self. Forgetfulness of self cannot be attained while 
we fear to do this or that because it may harm us in some 
way; for that very fear is self-condemnatory in that it 
admits weakness within. He knows not happiness with 
whom the ghost of fear is ever present, his close com- 
panion by day and by night. 

But the man who, through careful thought and study, 
gradually grows into the state of fearing nothing except 
the lashing of hi,s own conscience; the man who will 
stand firm, and even stand alone, regardless of the opin- 
ions of others — he i,s the man that shall gradually free 
himself from the ghost of fear and from the bondage of 
dogma and unnatural laws. By so doing, he becomes a 
Man, an individual, eventually, a god. He knows peace 
and happiness, even though he were burned at the stake; 
for freedom is within. Peace and contentment are within. 
And within i,s the matchless knowledge that he is free, free 
as the gods, free as the birds of the air, free and glorious 
as the lily that blooms in the field. 

These are the true freedmen. These are the gods, 
who, though on earth, are, nevertheless, not of the earth. 
These are the men who find happiness on earth. They 
can be no happier in a heaven than they are on the earth. 
Earth does not end where heaven begins, nor does heaven 
begin where earth ends. But heaven is here and now. 
Heaven begins on earth. It is to be found in the heart 
o' the man that has gained his freedom, not because he 
has asked for it, but becau.se he has demanded it, because 
ho was Man enough to uphold his demands in spite of all 
that may have been done or said to prevent him from ob- 
taining freedom of heart, of mind, of soul, and of body. 



CHAPTER THREE 

Life, Not a Disease, an Evil, from Which to Fight for 

Freedom. 

In itself, life is good; and in life all good things may 
be found. Even Immortality must be found while i\\ 
the earth life; and, unless it is found while the soul dwells 
in the flesh, it will never be found. 

The body was given to the soul and the spirit ,so that 
the soul might manifest through the body. The body of 
man is like the earth, like the ground, in which is planted 
a seed. Under favorable conditions, the seed will spring 
up and bear fruit. We may well call the fruit of the plant 
the resurrection, or the Illumination, of the plant. 

In Hike mariner, the Divine Spark, the embryonic 
soul, i ( s placed in the body of man. Under favorable con- 
ditions, the body is to the soul what the earth is to the 
seed. The soul will germinate and grow, becoming 
strong and comely, gradually reaching the state of con- 
sciousness that we call Illumination; and, through Illu- 
mination, man becomes one of the gods. 

All this would be utterly impossible, were it not for 
the earth life and the earth body. Consequently, life on 
earth and earth existence is not an evil, but a potential 
good, a thing that is intrinsically desirable, a thing to 
be sought for. But, just in proportion as the life is con- 
structive and positive, in proportion as the thoughts are 
normal and uplifting, in that proportion will the bless- 
ings of Nature and of $Q& be showered upon man. 



34 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Considering the matter in this light, we find that 
earthly blessings are not curses, which drag down the soul, 
not curses, which prevent man from reaching the other 
kingdom, called heaven, when he passes from the earth 
life to the soul world. Rather are earthly blessings to be 
thought of as the beginning of that life in the soul realm, 
upon which man enters when he is freed from the body. 

Even earthly blessings come to no man unle ( ss he has 
earned them, unless he has become worthy of them. 
Teachings to the contrary, whether they are of science, 
religion, or philosophy, are negative and destructive, and 
spring from a mind that is diseased and distorted, dis- 
ordered and unnatural. 

Rather than being undesirable, and something to be 
shunned, something from which we are to free ourselves 
as soon as possible, the earth life is a thing to hold on to 
and to be prolonged a,s much as possible. The longer the 
earth life can be prolonged, the more opportunity man has 
to free himself from all those things which are undesir- 
able in his nature and in his environment, things from 
which he must free himself sooner or later; and, in order 
to attain freedom from these difficulties of character and 
environment, he must return to the earth life again and 
again, until he has fully gained freedom. 

It is undeniable that there are many things in life 
which are not desirable, things which require patience 
and even suffering in overcoming them. But the earth 
life is a school in which we are taught valuable lessons and 
gain valuable experiences and training. If we are wise, and 
learn our lessons well, and gain skill in self-mastery from 
the trining offered, if we are careful not to repeat mistakes, 
thereby being forced to relearn lessons, we will fully re- 
alize that life is indeed a blessing, and, even through sor- 
row and misfortune, we may gain lasting advantage and 
eternal benefit, 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 35 

On the other hand, it is equally true that, if man is 
rebellious in disposition or cowardly at heart, if he is not 
willing to obey the laws of Nature, which, at times, de- 
mand that we shall deny ourselves temporary happiness 
for the sake of permanent good, we shall be made to suf- 
fer; and, that which was apparently a blessing becomes a 
punishment. This, however, is not due to the fact that 
life in itself is a curse. It is due to the fact that we have 
chosen unwisely and have not yet learned that manhood 
dwells potentially within each one. 

In ancient Pompeii, it was the custom for ,s!aves to 
wear a scarf or a belt, which marked them as slaves. If, 
in modern times, all who are slaves either to themeslves 
and their unnatural appetites and desires or to some creed 
or belief or power, were to wear ,such a belt or scarf, we 
would see few men without the scarf of serfdom. For 
this reason — because all, or nearly all, are ^slaves of some 
one or some thing, and have not manhood enough to free 
themselves from their own peculiar type of personal 
bondage — we hear the cry that life is undesirable, and 
an evil to be endured until the time i,s ripe to become 
free from it. Those who raise this cry are thereby brand- 
ing themselves as slaves, as surely as if they wore the 
scarf of serfdom. They have yet to learn their own po- 
tential power. They have yet to realize that they are 
freeborn, that theirs is the power of manhood, and that 
manhood lead,s to Godhood, and to freedom, and to all 
things which are desired by man. 

The wise man knows that there are times when self- 
denial is not only a virtue, but even a power-producer. 
At these times, he denies the desires and the appetites in 
order that he may become stronger and more of a man, 
also in order that he may avoid the punishment that in- 
variably results when the laws that concern true man- 
hood are broken. 



36 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

To become wise r to obtain the fruits of wisdom, de- 
mands a study of the laws of nature and the laws of being. 
These laws are really identical, but are different in their 
application. 

Thus, in order to be truly man, in order to have the 
greatest amount of strength and power, it is necessary 
that one should so live as to be as free as possible from 
disease and physical weakness. 

The ignorant one, he who exults in ^elf-wisdom, will 
smile at the idea that food and drink and daily habits of 
life have anything to do with happiness and eternal wel- 
fare. He indulges in everything, good and bad, and reaps 
the reward of his ignorance and his arrogance; and, being 
disea ( se-racked and in misery, he curses life on this plane, 
and tries to free himself from it, thinking that, by so 
doing, he is honoring God and preparing himself for a 
happier state in another sphere. In fact, he is doing 
nothing of the kind, but is suffering because of his igno- 
rance, and knows no more of God than he know t s of true 
manhood. His religion is pessimistic. Those things 
which the healthy, normal man enjoys and finds happiness 
in, look evil to him; and he condemns them, and would 
delegate all those who follow them to a sphere called 
Hades — a place that, to healthy-minded folk, has no ex- 
istence. 

It is from abnormal brains, which are under the rule 
of an abused body, that we receive the many pessimistic 
philosophies — philosophies, in which there is nothing but 
condemnation of all that is good and true, of all that 
is glorious in life. Originators of pessimistic philoso- 
phies are themselves slaves to misery, and, consequently, 
must preach a doctrine of inharmony. When denial has to 
cio with things that bring harm to any part of the four-fold 
being or to others, it is praiseworthy, and brings greater 
power, greater peace, and greater happiness. But, when 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 37 

self-denial becomes (abnormal, it degrades, teairs down 
Manhood, destroys the peace and the happiness of others, 
and steeps the self in misery. 

Twin-sister to an abnormal self-denial, but far more 
evil and destructive, is self-abhorrence — that destructive 
doctrine which teaches man that he is a worm of the dust, 
that he should torture and abuse the physical being, and 
welcome pain and disease and misery in order that the soul 
may become a bright angel in the next world. Than this, 
no doctrine could be more far-reaching in its destructive 
effects. It has held vast multitudes for centuries. The 
western nations, however, are freeing themselves from it, 
and are gradually accepting the New Commandment — ■ 
the doctrine that, in true and noble manhood alone, are 
honor and glory to be ascribed to the Father of all. But, 
in the East, self-torture, the result of the doctrine of self- 
abhorrence, i,s still too much in power among the people. 
There, the belief is still prevalent that, through self-tor- 
ture, the soul becomes great and glorious. Whereas, in 
reality, man ignores God and His laws, and degrades Him 
more in no other way than by degrading the self. 

Man is created in the image of God. WJthin him 
dwells a Divine Spark, part of the Father. In no other 
way can he glorify God more than by perfecting the Di- 
vine Spark, Image of the Father, by bringing into mani- 
festation every power possessed by the normal body. This 
cannot be accomplished by denying the body the things 
that are natural and normal, nor can it be accomplished 
through self-abhorrence. Abnormal self-denial and self- 
abhorrence will stultify the body and bring it weakness 
and disease and suffering, which is contrary to Nature, to 
Reason, and to God. 

The New Commandment i,s strict in its demands that 
man shall become truly a Man, that he shall glorify God 
by glorifying himself. In no other way can he do this bet- 



38. THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 

tcr than by living the normal life, as man should live. 
Ihis will give strength and beauty to the whole 1 being. In 
particular, it will give strength and power and beauty to 
the Soul, Image of the Divine. 

No longer is it regarded by the enlightened mind that 
self-abhorrence is a virtue, but, rather, that it is a disgrace, 
a weakness, slavery to a dogma with no foundation of 
truth. Life based on such a dogma leads to weakness, to 
sorrow, to suffering, and, in the end, to loss of the individ- 
uality of the Divine Spark, which might have become a 
living, illuminated Soul, an honor to God, the Father. 

The New Commandment teaches man not to seek for 
sorrow and suffering. He will have his full ^share without 
seeking for it. Almost universally, men are living in ig- 
norance; and, though they may be of open mind, before 
they can learn wisdom and the way of a natural life, they 
are sure to suffer. As a rule, man is not willing to learn 
from the experiences of others. He is inclined to think 
that he is different from his fellow man, and that he will, 
in some way, escape the disastrous consequences of his 
own deeds. Unquestionably, God honors the man that 
bears suffering in silence and without complaint when suf- 
fering has become necessary because of ignorant or wilful 
breaking of natural law. But it must be a reproach to 
God to see man seeking for means whereby he may bring 
suffering upon himself under the mistaken idea that it 
pleases God to see His children suffer. 

The New Commandment teaches a full life. It 
teaches ways and means to avoid suffering, sorrow, and 
misery, ways and means by which to free himself from 
sin and sickness. It teaches him how to attain perfec- 
tion of body, peace of mind, and Illumination of Soul. It 
teaches, absolutely and without exception, that Manhood 
is the first requisite to Godhood, and that perfection of 
body, peace of mind, and Illumination of Soul lead to Im- 
mortality and to conscious Son,ship with the Father. 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 39 

The work of man on earth is twofold, and he owes a 
twofold duty, each of which is always interwoven with 
the other. 

One duty is to the soul, the spiritual self, and to the 
Father, of which it is a part. The other duty is to the 
body and to Mother Earth, or Nature. He must do his 
duty to both, in order to be a full, complete Man. 

He mUjSt do nothing that will cause him to tire of life 
and the happiness that life gives to man. Body and soul 
are equal in importance. Each requires special effort to 
perfect. But the life of man may be so ordered as to 
perfect both of them at the same time. But this can never 
be accomplished by considering that the body and its nor- 
mal demands are unnatural and to be ignored. Rather, 
thi,s is to be accomplished by recognizing the fact that the 
body has needs which must be supplied, and by making 
conscious efforts to bring the body to the highest state of 
perfection and freedom from all things that are not de- 
sirable. By so doing, he helps the Soul within the body; 
for the things that harm the body will al,so harm the soul, 
since the two are closely interwoven, and one is not inde- 
pendent of the other. 

In order to be perfect, man must seek the things in 
the earth life that bring happiness, that give joy, that bring 
peace and harmony and pleasure to the mind. In inno- 
cent enjoyment and happiness is found a spiritual food, 
which feeds the mind and the soul and makes them more 
sublime. Only those pleasures are to be avoided which 
are liable to be productive of pain, sorrow, and regrets. 
Man must seek to learn what these pleasures are. These 
and these only is he to deny himself. 

Life is a joy. Neither a disease, an evil, nor a curse 
is it. Life on earth is the beginning of the life that 
continues. Just as we live the earth life, so shall we 
continue life after we pass beyond the Veil. 



40 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

In Nature there is never to be found a sudden in- 
terruption of one stage of growth and a jumping into an- 
other stage. All things pass through a growth from one 
stage to another, and in such degree that the change is not 
even perceptible until it has actually been made. 

So is the change, between this life and the future life, 
between this stage of existence and the other. And the 
soul that lived in the body of him who t se mind was filled 
with thoughts of self-abhorrence, of self-pity, of self- 
torture, and of disease and the tiredness and the monot- 
ony of life, cannot expect to pass from this plane into the 
realms of light, of joy, of happiness, and of perfection. 
Growth in light, joy, happiness, and perfection must have 
its beginning in the earth sphere in order to reach its cul- 
mination in the sphere of Perfect Realization. We might 
as well think of admitting to college courses of study the 
youth who has completely neglected his elementary train- 
ing. What would we think of the directors of a college 
who would enroll a student in Calculus who had no knowl- 
edge whatever of the lower grades of mathematics? 

And yet there are multitudes of souls who think to be 
admitted to the world of light and joy who have not an 
inkling of light and joy in their natures, which could qual- 
ify them to endure the light and joy of another world. 
After degrading the Image of the Father here on earth, 
after denying it its just needs and dwarfing it through un- 
natural thoughts and through an abnormal life, think you 
that they are prepared to enter a land of Perfection and 
Realization? Think you that the soul thus pinched and 
dwarfed and starved is prepared to enjoy a world of light, 
liie, and love, where perfection only is supposed to abound? 

The New Commandment teaches no such doctrines. 
It denies the doctrine of self-abasement, and exalts the 
doctrine of Manhood as the only way to Godhood. 



CHAPTER FOUR 

Conscious Individuality, the Goal of Life, 

The true aim of life i,s to become a Conscious Indi- 
viduality, an individual that has realized all the potencies 
belonging to man. This means development of all de- 
partments of the being. Not only must the physical body 
be perfected and set free from disease and weakness, but 
the mind also must be developed and ^set free from er- 
roneous conceptions and false ideas, from harmful de- 
sires and destructive appetites, from belief in dogmas and 
ueeds that fetter and bind and make slaves of men. 

The attainment of Conscious Individuality demands 
that man shall become a free man in the true sense of the 
word, bound to nothing except the truth. Wisdom must 
be his guide in life, and he must accept only those things 
which wisdom points out as true and right. Besides free- 
dom of body from disease and weakness and suffering, 
besides freedom of mind from bondage to the self and to 
others, there is yet another freedom that man must attain 
— that is, freedom of soul from bondage to the flesh. 

This does not mean that the soul must become a sep- 
al ate entity. Freedom of soul means that the soul must 
assert itself, must free itself, from the tomb of the flesh, 
and must enlist the co-operation of the flesh in arou,sing 
its divine powers. Freedom of soul does not require shak- 
ing off the flesh and breaking all connection with it. 
Rather does it require that there shall be no conflict be- 
tween the soul and the flesh. They must work in har- 
mony toward one end and one purpose. This is the 
.Great Work placed before man — that soul, mind, and body 



42 THE WAY TO GODHOOD. 

shall work together and in harmony, to perfect Manhood 
after the pattern of Godhood. When harmony has been 
established thus, the soul becomes the Voice of Conscience, 
which guides man in the right and in the way to wisdom. 

Before thi,s state of freedom is reached, it is but 
natural that man should purler in many ways. It is 
scarcely possible for him to attain freedom other than 
through his own experience; and experience means pain 
and suffering. Much can be learned through the experi- 
ence of others; but the Great Work, after all, has to do 
with the self. And, only through experience, can he learn 
what is good for him and what is not good. When he 
learns to discriminate between that which i,s beneficent 
and that which is detrimental in its effects, he must then 
exercise a wise choice. He must select the good and the 
beneficial, and must reject and deny himself those things 
which have been the means of bringing suffering and 
weakness, and of placing him in bondage to them. More 
than this, he must make conscious effort to strengthen his 
powers and to become master of negative conditions in- 
stead of slaves to them. 

These things must he do with a definite goal in mind. 
This goal may be the attainment of peace and happiness; 
01 it may be the attainment of perfect and complete Man- 
hood, resulting in consciousness of Godhood. These 
three are virtually identical, each being dependent on the 
others. 

Man may have the notion that peace and happiness 
come through loss of individuality of self and through 
entering Nirvana as an unindividualized particle of the 
Universal Substance. This, however, is a mistaken no- 
tion. Individual consciousness, individual attainment, in- 
dividual growth, individual perfection, individual Man- 
hood, leading to the consciousness of Godhood — this alone 
gives true peace and happiness. True, by reaching Nir- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 43 

vana, a man may attain a certain freedom from vexa- 
tion. But it is equally true that this state of freedom 
from vexation has been attained at the expense of every- 
thing that makes man a Man. The peace, or the freedom 
from vexation, which Nirvana typifies, is gained through 
self-disintegration and self-deterioration. Whereas, the 
peace and the happiness advocated by the New Command- 
ment, is gained through self-assertion and self-develop- 
ment, through self-mastery and self-unfoldment, through 
self-expansion and self-perfection. The Nirvana type of 
happiness is through loss of individuality. The type of 
happiness advocated by the New Commandment is through 
perfection of individuality. 

It is the soul in man, the Divine Spark of divinity 
within his nature, which makes possible, enjoyment and 
suffering. Consequently, in order to reach the negative 
type of peace represented by Nirvana, it is necessary 
to destroy the Divine Spark so that neither pain nor joy is 
possible. In establishing the impossibility of pain and joy, 
man makes of himself an inert machine, incapable of feel- 
ing. He destroys all possibility of reaching Godhood and 
Conscious Individuality, simply because he refuses to ac- 
cept the possibilities of Manhood, simply because he re- 
fuses to accept the possibility of suffering and sorrow and 
pain. In refusing the possibility of pain, he refuses the 
possibility of joy; for it is a truth beyond contradiction 
that the ability to enjoy necessitates the ability to suffer. 
He who cringes under pain and endeavors to deaden the 
sensibility that makes pain possible, is, by that very atti- 
tude of mind, deadening the sensibility that makes pleas- 
ure possible. 

There is no law in heaven or on earth to compel one 
to accept the responsibilities of Manhood. Neither is 
there a law in heaven or on earth that can make it possible 
for one to attain Manhood or Godhood without accept- 



44 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

ing the responsibilities belonging thereto. Shouldering the 
responsibilities of Manhood entitles one to the rewards of 
Manhood, entitles one to the strength of Manhood. To 
endure pain and hardship and suffering and to gain 
strength through them, is a part of the responsibility of 
life. 

The true human being, he with manhood even par- 
tially developed, is willing to accept the responsibility 
placed upon him as one created in the Divine Image. He 
is willing to suffer all those things which are given man 
to suffer, in order that he may gain knowledge thereby. 
Through the knowledge gained, he shall gradually free 
himself from weakness. Thus, he gradually develops 
strength of individuality; and, through overcoming, he 
gains power to throw off undesirable conditions. 

The command, "Be a man and thou mayst become a 
god," emphasizes the necessity of accepting the responsi- 
bilities of life. Through accepting and overcoming, one 
becomes master of circumstances. 

Two paths in life are open to man. With him, rests 
the choice. Either the one or the other i,s his. 

The one path leads to Manhood, to strength, to Con- 
scious Individuality, eventually, to Godhood, and the power 
to enjoy all good things without the necessity of accepting 
suffering. 

The other path leads to negativeness, deterioration, 
inertness, and, ultimately, to loss of individuality and loss 
of the Divine Spark, which might enable man to attain 
Godhood. This path leads to a state of mind that can 
neither suffer nor enjoy. Ultimately, death of the physical 
body ends all, because the divine image within — that which 
enables one to receive impressions of joy and of pain — 
has already been destroyed through refusal to bring it to 
conscious manifestation. 

To seek wisdom and knowledge is one reason why 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 45 

man is placed here on earth. It is admitted that knowl- 
edge brings responsibility with it. But he who has a 
spark of manhood in his nature is willing to accept the re- 
sponsibility, knowing that responsibility, cheerfully accept- 
ed, brings strength, and that strength is power, and that 
power means the possibility of possessing peace, content- 
ment, and happiness. 

To be sure, there are multitudes who believe in the 
doctrine of negativenes,s, and the doctrine that it is sin- 
ful or at least detrimental to seek human knowledge. But 
careful observation reveals that these are under the influ- 
ence of other minds, and they have hypnotized themselves 
into a negative type of peace and happiness. They are 
under the delusion that the bondage they ,sufler in this life 
will prepare for them a place of glory in the Hereafter. 

In the same way, we find multitudes who, suffering 
from some painful disease, accept the suffering with a 
smile, making no effort to be relieved of it, believing that, 
by meekly and unquestioningly accepting what comes to 
them, they are meeting the conditions of becoming a shin- 
ing light in glory and of being robed in a garment of 
splendor in the Beyond. 

That the doctrine of negativeness is prevalent is a 
pity; for it leads to inertness, irresponsivenes,s, and de- 
structiveness both to body and soul. By making no effort 
to free body and mind from the bondage of sickness and 
pain, they fail to develop the soul into a state of Con- 
scious Individuality. The inert and meek acceptance of 
suffering and disease is in violation of the laws of nature, 
and of the laws of God, which bid humankind to seek wis- 
dom, first of all, and so to live as to glorify the image of 
Him who has created them and has endowed them with the 
opportunity to know good from evil, joy from sorrow, 
pleasure from pain, freedom from slavery, and, eventually, 
to reach the Divine Consciousness, To seek wisdom and 



46 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

to endeavor to live in harmony with the laws of nature 
and the laws of God, prepare one for the time of part- 
ing between the earthly house and its tenant. Unless man 
accepts this responsibility and makes every effort for wis- 
dom, there is but one end. That is, loss of individual- 
ity in the state called Nirvana; and that which was, is no 
more, except in an unconscious, unindividualized, imper- 
sonal state. 

Human knowledge which really ends in divine knowl- 
edge is therefore a truly desirable thing. For, without 
knowledge, wisdom is impossible; and, without wisdom, 
man cannot reach individualized consciousness; and, with- 
out individualized consciousness, Godhood is impossible, 
and man finds that he ha,s nothing, is nothing, and ends in 
nothing. 

As already indicated, the New Commandment advo- 
cates that man shall become an individuality, conscious of 
its oneness with the All Father. This is the ultimate goal 
placed before him. The New Commandment advocates 
gaining knowledge of both heaven and earth. More than 
this, it advocates that it is wise for man to make use of 
his natural instincts. 

The negative philosophy, that which, if followed, ends 
in nothingness, teaches that to have regard for natural in- 
stinct is to court death, and to forfeit peace and happiness 
in the world to come. 

The New Commandment, on the contrary, advocates 
following the natural instincts in a natural, normal manner, 
not allowing them to become perverted nor to become the 
master. 

One of the natural instincts \s hunger. To satisfy 
natural hunger in a normal manner, is desirable as well 
as necessary. To refuse to satisfy hunger because of the 
notion that the soul is ennobled by suffering hunger, is to 
pervert a natural instinct On the other hand, to give 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 47 

unnecessary and unnatural food to the system, is, like- 
wise, a perversion of natural instinct. By neither method 
do we ennoble the Divine Image. By either method we 
mar the Image of Divinity; and to continue in such an 
unnatural course is to destroy the whole structure. 

Another natural instinct is the desire for strength 
and power. And to seek strength and power through nat- 
ural means, such as proper food, proper work and exer- 
cise, proper self-culture, and other measures, is to glorify 
the Divine Image inherent in man. This soon becomes 
apparent through beauty of character and through the joy- 
radiating influences of one's being. 

It is a natural instinct to crave pleasure and joy. 
When this craving can be gratified without harm to the self 
or others, results are divine, and ennobling to the entire 
being. But, to refuse a reasonable gratification of the 
desire for pleasure and joy under the mistaken idea that 
self-denial in this respect is noble, is a perversion of nat- 
ural instinct, and leads to harm and self-injury. This is 
negativeness. It is slavery to a dogma that has no foun- 
dation, and the end thereof is deterioration of the Divine 
Image in man's nature. 

A doctrine kindred to the doctrine of self-denial is 
that of self-affliction, or self-torture. Natural instincts, 
unsatisfied and denied, become perversions of the worst 
type. The negative doctrine of denial leads to self-afflic- 
tion. This is natural; for, if one believes in the doctrine 
of self-denial in regard to natural instincts, naturally he 
either perverts his instincts or tries to deaden them. If 
lie succeeds in deadening them, these forces, which were 
positive forces when they demanded gratification, have now 
through self-denial, become negative forces. Man who 
was formerly a positive being has now become a negative 
being. Such a man will naturally believe that all those 
things which frave t° do with the .earth life aje evil and 



48 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

should be denied. Consequently, he will be afraid to do 
anything, lest it may be wrong, since strength and man- 
hood, wisdom and knowledge, pleasure and joy, are to 
be avoided. Man cannot live without doing something. 
It follows that self-affliction to such a diseased mind be- 
comes the natural thing. To such a mind, thi,s is an 
honor to God. In this way, a crown of glory and a robe 
of light are to be received immediately on becoming free 
from the flesh. 

All nature teaches contrary to this doctrine. Through 
natural gratification of natural instincts in a natural man- 
ner, joy and happiness are gained. Through normal use 
of normal powers, additional strength is gained. All na- 
ture teaches this. When natural appetites are gratified in 
a natural manner, strength and beauty result therefrom. 
Also, the possibility of obtaining still greater strength and 
beauty results. This may continue indefinitely until per- 
fection is reached. 

It is not necessary for man to possess a large amount 
of wealth in order to realize the highest state of strength 
or happiness. Granted, a certain amount of possessions 
is necessary in order that he may have the things needful 
for right living. But it is also true that, if a man is willing 
to free himself from weakness and is willing to use hijS 
strength and wisdom for good, he will be able to obtain the 
things he desires, and with every new effort come posses- 
sions, until there is an accumulation of the necessities of 
life, just as there is an accumulation of power, of strength, 
of knowledge, and of individuality. 

. But the first requisite is freedom. In serfdom there 
is no power. In serfdom is no possibility of obtaining 
power and individuality, or happiness and the necessities 
of life. So long as man is content to be the slave either 
of himself or of others, just that long will be denied to 
him those! things, whether it fee time, opportunity^ p<j; 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 49 

money, which he requires in order to become what he 
should be. 

When man seek t s knowledge, first of all, when he 
miake,s use of his knowledge for good, when he seeks to 
learn his weaknesses in order to replace them with 
strength, when he seeks to find the cause of his servi- 
tude in order to remove it — then will he free himself and 
become master instead of .slave, a man instead of a weak- 
ling; and, gradually, he will become one with God rather 
than one with negativeness and destructiveness and per- 
versity of nature. 

Wealth alone can give man neither freedom, health, 
happiness, nor pleasure. He may possess wealth incalcula- 
ble and still be diseased and in misery. If he obeys the 
laws that will free him from disease and will build up 
health, if he liv^s so as to be free from an accusing con- 
science, he may be happy in spite of a meagre supply of 
material possessions. Freedom from all 'undesirable 
things is the goal for man to reach. 

Such freedom comes through Conscious Individuality, 
and through the development of conscious Unity with 
Deity, in His varied and manifold aspects. "Let us lay 
aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset 
us and run with patience the race that is set before us" — • 
even the race that leads to true Manhood, eventually, to 
true Godhood and the Deific Consciousness. 



50 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 



CHAPTER FIVE 

It Is Not Necessary to Renounce the World and Its Pos- 
sessions. 

To a cert?Jn extent at least, earthly possessions are 
absolutely necessary in this age for the peace and the 
well-being of man. Without a reasonable degree of them 
it is not possible for man to be at hi ( s best, nor is it possible 
for him to bring the potential power within himself into 
manifestation. 

A reasonable independence in regard to the necessities 
of 'life should be sought by him who wishes to attain the 
highest development of his powers. Human relationships 
are not to be shunned. The dutie l s and the cares of a 
home are to be welcomed. To avoid or to shun or to 
shrink from them is to forfeit the right to the joys and 
the pleasures of a home. To have amiable friends and 
agreeable acquaintances demands a price. But these very 
things are above ill else the most truly "worth while," and 
are deserving of the highest price. To meet the require- 
ments of business relationships with others, of social re- 
lationships, aye, even of home and domestic relationships, 
demands a positive attitude. 

The positive life is the only kind of life that is of 
any consequence; and, every day, it becomes more ap- 
parent that the positive attitude i,s absolutely necessary 
to enable one to meet the requirements of the varied func- 
tions and conditions of life. 

Let no one gather erroneous impressions regarding 
the term, "positive attitude." Positive attitude in no wise 
means supercilious pfricio.usne 1 ss in one's relations with 



52 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

others. Nor does it in any degree suggest the haughty 
spirit of "better than thou." Neither is it marked by 
obstinate determination to have one's own way. 

Let it be emphasized from many points of view that 
the positive attitude first and foremost means mastery within 
oneself. It means self-control. It means firmness with 
reference to one's own thoughts, feelings, words, and acts. 
The positive attitude exercises authority over one's powers 
and forces, directing them into proper, carefully approved 
channels, conserving, rather than dissipating and diffusing, 
them. The positive being is one who cheerfully and faith- 
fully accepts the responsibilities of life, one who encour- 
ages only wholesome, constructive thoughts and happy, opti- 
mistic views. The positive character is willing to take his 
place in social and community interests and to bear his 
share of their burdens. The positive being is courageous 
and shrinks not from facing difficulties and hardships. He 
meets conditions bravely, knowing that all responsibili- 
ties, faithfully met, add to one's fund of useful experience. 
With the one of positive attitude, ,so-called failures and 
reverses act only as spurs to goad him on to more per- 
sistent effort and to a more determined search for wisdom 
in regard to the practical things of life. 

The positive attitude is the opposite of negativeness, 
inertness, and indifference. It is the opposite of slave-like 
complacency and inactivity. The positive attitude is self- 
assertive in its effort to become qualified and equipped for 
the duties of life and for the requirements of a chosen 
profession or career. 

God, the Great Creator of all, manifests Himself to 
man through a positive nature. He is by no means a nega- 
tive being, but is continually creative. This fact becomes 
a constant reminder to man that he likewise is creative 
cr»ly in proportion as he is of a positive nature. To suc- 
ceed in life demands creative ability, and it is therefore 



THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 53 

necessary to be positive. One must make his plans and 
hold firmly to them. One must not allow himself to be- 
come the dupe of circumstances and conditions. Even 
though one may not be able to change circumstances and 
conditions, he can at least master himself in the midst 
cf them and extract good from them. This demands a 
positive attitude. This demands the use of creative facul- 
ties and self-assertiveness. 

The positive attitude does not renounce the world and 
worldly possessions. Rather than regarding it a mark of 
spirituality to renounce them, the positive attitude consid- 
ers it a mark of negativeness. To meet the requirements 
of business interests and to solve the problems incident 
thereto, demands positiveness and self-assertiveness — the 
very qualities that make for spirituality and power. 
Iherefore, if one shuns the responsibilities attendant upon 
earthly interests, he is, by that very attitude of mind, neg- 
lecting attributes and powers which are essential to the 
higher growth. One should welcome these responsibili- 
ties a,s a necessary means of growth. 

Time has been when it was possible for man to live 
a normal life, even though he had no fixed habitation. 
Eut that time is passed; and, with few exceptions, man 
must see to it that he has a settled abiding place, called 
home. This requires the necessities of life and earthly 
possessions and human relationships. Humble and modest, 
indeed, these may be. But the tomorrow will not take 
care of itself unless man exerciser creative ability in pro- 
viding for the tomorrow. He must know whence comes 
the next meal, whence comes protection against frost, 
wind, and snow. Even though human relationships be the 
most normal and natural possible, even though provisions 
be simple and inexpensive, yet forethought and skill are 
lcquired to meet the needs of every-day life. 

Far from true is it that, in order to strive for the 



M THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 

Itigher Life, the Soul Life, it is necessary to renounce 
earthly possessions. Rather than being wrong to enjoy 
that which has been honestly earned, it is a benefit to the 
aspirant after wisdom and soul power to have a reason- 
able degree of earthly possessions to enjoy. To have a 
home which one has been able to equip with the necessi- 
ties and the comforts of life, to have the assurance that 
one need not worry for the day to come, relieves one's 
nund and enables one to give undivided attention and 
thought to the greater work in hand. Thus, earthly com- 
forts become a real benefit to the Higher Life. 

There is, however, no ground for discouragement to 
him who has life before him, who is just beginning his 
work, but i s s destitute of the necessities and the com- 
forts of life. For, if he has true manhood, if he is not 
a slave to conditions or to others or to himself, he will 
soon gain these benefits. 

In the present age of efficiency, every man who is 
willing to be truly Man, can think and plan, execute and 
produce, with honest labor, more than is required for 
each day's comforts. Consequently, it is possible for him 
to lay by something each day, so that in good time there 
may be an accumulation from which to give himself and 
those dependent on him, some of the pleasures and en- 
joyments of 'life. If he does not accomplish this, it is 
evident that he i,s not planning and working wisely or 
that he is the slave of circumstances and conditions or 
of some one who has learned to take from him that which 
is his. In that case, it is his first duty to seek wisdom 
and knowledge, to learn the cause of his failure, and then 
to rectify the error. 

Moreover, it is neither honorable nor wise, nor is it 
the will of the All Father, that one man should give to 
another that which rightly belongs to himself. It is right 
tc give to those who are unfortunate in ways they can-* 



fTHE WAY TO GODHOOD B5 

i\ot avoid; but to give to those who are as able to help 
themselves as we are, is only to harm them. Charity is 
a noble quality of heart; but indiscriminate giving may be 
productive of harm to those whom we seek to help. 

With few exceptions, all men are born with potential 
strength, wisdom, and ability. Some, nevertheless, give 
way to a weak, negative, morbid nature, and refuse ton 
work for the necessities of life. They yield to negative- 
ness under the mistaken notion that the life of compla- 
cency and inactivity, the life that works not, enjoys not, 
and gains not, is the life that receives a sublime recom- 
pense in the world to come. It is neither right nor just 
for such as these to be sustained by those who believe 
in the creative, constructive life, who have earned their 
possessions by making use of the powers God has given 
to all men. He who wishes to give of his means or his 
possessions to a noble and worthy cause, because he is 
able to give and has the inclination to give, will be re- 
warded by the Divine Law, "It is more blessed to give 
than to receive." But "the blessedness" of giving does 
not apply to indiscriminate support of those who are quali- 
fied to help themselves, but do not, because of belief in 
negative doctrines. 

Man is made in the image of the Father, and is sup- 
posed to be at his best when he imitates the Father. It 
is but natural that he should pattern after his heavenly 
Father. He soon learns that the Father gives nothing to 
His children unless they work for it, even though they 
may believe in an inactive life. Unless the farmer plows 
the field, and sows the wheat, cuts the grain and mills 
if. he has no bread. It matters not how many acres of the 
best land the farmer may possess, it matters not how in- 
cessantly he may pray for daily bread, it remains a fact 
that bread comes not unless the land is tilled or honest 
effort in some other way is made to secure daily bread. 



56 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Bread is earned through creative work of some kind. We 
only plunge another into greater weakness by giving him 
that which he should gain through his own efforts. 

Does the mother bird teach her young to fly by con- 
tinually carrying them on her back? 

It is the negative being, laboring under a misconcep- 
tion of life and its possibilities, that thinks it righteous and 
godly to renounce earthly possessions. 

To be sure, as in all other matters, there is an ex- 
treme to be guarded against. To bend all one's energies 
to the obtaining of earthly treasures, defiles the image in 
which man is created. This extreme is as serious as the 
opposite extreme of renouncing them. Neither extreme 
is satisfactory. "The golden mean," the desire for pos- 
sessions sufficient for a righteous and full life, is both 
just and honorable, and keeps man from becoming a para- 
site and a vampire on society. 

The vital admonition of the Law is, "Seek ye first 
the kingdom of heaven." That is, seek to bring into ac- 
tivity all the powers within your being. Develop the mind 
and the thinking faculties. Mellow the heart so that love 
and wisdom shall be therein. Help the Divine Spark to 
spring forth and to blossom as the rose. Use your crea- 
tive powers, your manhood, to obtain those things which 
are necessary to peace of mind, strength of body, and 
happiness of heart. This is reason. This is justice. This 
is wisdom. This is doing what man is intended to do. 

Goodness of heart, greatness of soul, loftiness of 
mind, and generosity of spirit can never come through 
denying the self earthly possessions. Nor can they come 
through the wearing of tatters, nor through refusing to 
think of earthly interests, nor through being a negative, 
feelingless creature, tossed about by every wind of doc- 
trine. Goodness of heart, greatness of soul, loftiness of 
mind, generosity of spirit — these qualities come through 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 57 

doing the duties that belong to manhood, through using 
every power of mind in the creative work for which it 
was intended, through accepting the responsibilities of 
life, through working and doing, even doing things that 
are not to our liking, but doing them faithfully because 
they fall to our lot to do. These are the things that give 
man power and force. These are the things that bring 
satisfaction. 

He who is afraid to undertake the duties of life for 
fear of failure already confesses himself a failure. He 
confesses himself to be in bondage to fear. Bondage to 
his own fear will eventually put him in bondage to others 
to be exploited by them. 

The same Law that bids, "Seek ye the kingdom of 
heaven," also encourages us to seek an earthly home and 
a reasonable degree of earthly pleasures and earthly pos- 
sessions. Few indeed there are who find the kingdom of 
heaven who do not also find a home and earthly enjoy- 
ments; for the same power, the same capabilities, the same 
mental attitude, which helps man find the kingdom of 
heaven, also helps him to make a home for himself. The 
New Commandment encourages the cultivation of affec- 
tion and love and devotion and faithfulness — even affec- 
tion and love for things of the earth, and devotion and 
faithfulness to earthly relationships. But it strikes the 
note of warning against an excess of attachment to earth- 
ly conditions, a warning against holding earthly posses- 
sions as idols. Thou shalt have no other god before the 
All Father. 

The love of man for his family and for his home 
and for the conditions that make an ideal home, is to be 
commended. If a man loves these things, then we may 
take it for granted that he will do his duty toward them; 
and, in this way, he honors his God and Creator. But, 
if a man makes an idol of any possessions, he thereby 



58 THE WAY TO GODHOOP 

breaks the divine command, by thinking only of his pos- 
sessions and forgetting the Father of all. Through be- 
coming absorbed in the earthly treasure, he 'loses sight of 
the counter-part of God, which is within his own being, 
be forgets the Divine Spark of divinity within his own 
nature, and fails to bring it into manifestation. 

But so long as the Divine Nature holds the first and 
greatest love in his heart, it is wise and right for him to 
bestow affection and attention upon earthly possessions; 
for, by taking care of these things, he cultivates and en- 
courages the higher love. Through the care of earthly 
interests and protection for them, he develops manhood 
and learns wisdom. 

Three classes of men people the earth. 

The one class is of the negative type. They have 
the abnormal belief that it is wrong to use their creative, 
constructive powers. They refuse to develop their po- 
tential energies and latent forces. They live upon the 
efforts of others, or, it may be, they serve and obey others. 
Their lives are negative, inert, ambitionless', unproduc- 
tive. Those, however, upon whom they live gain their 
livelihood through the use of constructive, positive fac- 
ulties. 

Another class have learned to know the powers they 
possess and to use them in creative and productive chan- 
nels. More than this, they have learned to lay hold of 
the negative class of society and use them to their own 
selfish interests. They enslave them under hard labor 
and strenuous toil, giving them, in compensation, barely 
enough to keep soul and body together. 

The third class is of those who accept the Divine 
Law as their standard. In the beginning, this class suffer 
severely; for it is through experience that they learn. 
Put, by accepting every experience as a lesson that is 
well to master, they apply its message to their need and 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 59 

go i,n search for wisdom and knowledge. They condemn 
neither conditions nor personalities, but gradually free 
themselves from every form of bondage. 

They free themselves from weakness of body and en- 
deavor to live in such a manner that freedom from dis- 
ease is obtained. 

Freedom of mind also they strive after. They seek 
to learn the truth. And, having found a satisfactory in- 
terpretation, they cling to it, regardless of whether others 
understand it as they do. Nor do they care if the truth 
as they understand it is condemned by others or is not 
in harmony with established beliefs. To them it is truth. 
And they are free enough to know that it is to their ad- 
vantage to be faithful to their best understanding of truth 
regardless of what others think. Nevertheless, firmness 
in regard to their own convictions is tempered with mild- 
ness and kindness, and freedom from condemnation of 
others; and there is no inclination in their hearts to judge 
others harshly as to their beliefs, words, ways, or acts. 
Firmness in regard to themselves, mildness and kindness 
in regard to others — these are essentials of the positive 
attitude of mind. 

This class also is eager in its search after freedom 
of soul. They desire to learn what is constructive and 
good, and what is destructive and harmful. They de- 
velop a power of will that enables them to select and to 
choose the good and the constructive. Thus, gradually, 
they evolve true manhood; and with it comes freedom — ■ 
a freedom so powerful that no one is strong enough to 
take it from them, or to interfere with it. 

Individual men, evolving thus from the state of 
weakness and servitude into freedom and mastery, in time, 
constitute a class of society. In proportion as this class 
grows, the other two classes must give way. Thus in a 
slow, gradual, but sure manner, the regeneration of man- 



60 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

kind takes place. This is the aim and the goal placed 
before humanity. It rests with each individual to accept 
the ideal of freedom and true manhood for himself. As 
he succeeds in his aim, others are inspired to follow his 
example, until, through the sweep of centuries, mankind 
generally has adopted the ideal of manhood and true 
freedom, which lead ultimately to individualized God- 
hood. 

To the one who has reached this type of freedom and 
manhood, of mastership, nothing is prohibited; for it is 
his privilege as the reward of self-mastership to be a co- 
worker with God, and to possess all good things on the 
earth. To be. sure, with no one does freedom mean li- 
cense to do as he pleases, whether good or not good. 
The highest freedom has not been reached until man's 
choice is guided by a wisdom that keeps him "in the nar- 
row way" of right and justice and goodness. 

Who can say there are no good things on the earth 
for man to enjoy? At the present day, in the present 
age, the opportunities for peace and happiness, the op- 
portunities for the possession of those things which bring 
joy and contentment, are greater than they have ever 
been in the history of the world. But, in order to possess 
them, we must show that we are worthy of them. For 
they are given only to those who earn them whether by 
their own efforts or by the ability to direct others in earn- 
ing them. 

It is wisdom for us to strive after manhood in the 
fullest and truest sense of the word, and to bring forth 
all our potential powers into manifestation, and thus be- 
come worthy of possessions, worthy of living in the Age 
of Divine Realization, worthy of being in the Divine 
Image, worthy of Sonship with the Father. 



CHAPTER SIX 

Hope, the elevating magnet of life. 

The hope of attaining that wWch Ave desifre and 
which we believe we can attain and claim, is the thing 
that stimulates man to action. Without the desire to at- 
tain, there will be nothing to hope for. Without desire, 
without hope, man is a mere nothing, bound straight for 
Nirvana — that is, reabsorption in the great storehouse of 
that which IS, but is not individual, so that those who 
again become part of the storehouse straightway lose their 
individuality. 

Without desires, there is no hope, except possibly the 
hope of death. And the desires of man are legion in their 
variety. Most of the desires of man are natural desires. 
That is to say, they are normal desires, and, if gratified, 
can lead only to good. 

The desire for death is an unnatural desire. It causes 
man to become wholly negative. This negative state, like 
the opium-habit, leads him to think that he has no de- 
sires, when, in fact, this very delusion leads to many de- 
sires, which are, nevertheless, perversions of natural, nor- 
mal desires. Living under a false belief, a false concep- 
tion of life and human destiny, and viewing things in 
the wrong light, regarding that which is natural to man 
as something to be avoided, the negative, hopeless man 
soon comes to see the abnormal and the perverse as some- 
thing desirable. And, under the pessimistic eye of a na- 
ture perverted by negative doctrines, virtue becomes a thing 
to be shunned, and perversity becomes desirable. 

Between vice and virtue, between strength and weak- 



62 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

rsess, there is only the difference of direction. The foun- 
tain is the same for both. The center is the same, but 
the channel through which the forces flow is different. 
One is natural, normal, desirable; the other is totally un- 
natural and perverse. 

In the time of youth and construction, desire and the 
hope of accomplishment is the incentive to life. Desire 
and its attendant hope is a noble quality of soul — aye, it 
is even divine. For, through desire, all the impulses of 
life are awakened and set into motion; and, through con- 
tinual motion, all that is good is accomplished. 

In old age, it is natural to forget the desires of youth 
or to find that earlier desires are dead and that only one 
desire remains — the desire for peace and inaction. But 
in the youth or in the mature man, the desire for inac- 
tion is abnormal, and leads to vice and to those things 
which are detrimental and destructive, not only to the self, 
but to others as well. 

In youth, there are many desires, and there is the 
eternal hope of accomplishment. The stronger the de- 
sires in the heart of man, the greater is the hope of their 
realization. To the normal man, the hope of realizing his 
desires, always for the best interest of himself, and those 
near and dear to him, is like a star in the heavens, ever 
drawing him onward and upward, until, at last, through 
effort, he has been able to reach the star that has been 
guiding him and beckoning him on. Furthermore, no 
sooner will he have reached the first star than there will 
be another star to attract him. Aye, possibly, long be- 
fore the first great desire has been realized, another de- 
sire has been forming, a desire for greater accomplish- 
ment than the light of the first star pointed out. And, 
just as soon as the first desire has been realized, it is 
straightway forgotten, and another desire, the gleam of 
another star, leads him on to still greater achievement, 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 63 

This is natural desire and its star of hope. That it 
is both normal and divine is seen in the fact that, with- 
out desire and without hope, nothing is accomplished. 
Again, the normal and divine nature of desire and hope 
is seen in the fact that, in the realization and the accom- 
plishment of a great desire, there is neither time nor in- 
clination nor opportunity for weakness and vice, since all 
one's time and strength and thought are occupied in the 
accomplishment of the work in view. 

This is the doctrine of manhood. No great school or 
educational system is needed to teach the lad, the youth, 
the man in his prime, that he should entertain some great 
desire. For, if he is natural and normal, or, if he is 
healthy, there will be healthy desires in his breast; and, 
unless these desires are perverted through false teachings, 
there is little danger of his going astray. 

Manhood and the works of manhood constitute the 
theme of the new age, the age that is just beginning. Fear 
is giving way to the desire to accomplish and the desire 
to become. No longer will the healthy man be held in 
bondage by erroneous teachings, religious and philosophi- 
cal teachings, which have held the human race back for 
long centuries past, making man afraid to think for him- 
self, still more afraid to act for himself. The fear that 
has characterized the past age is due to the false teach- 
ing that, if man should make a grievous mistake, it is pos- 
sible he may be damned for eternity. The age of fear 
passes away with the age of false ideas concerning desire 
and the accomplishment of desire. 

No longer will man be bound to the doctrine, East- 
founded, that the supreme virtue is to kill out all desire 
and to substitute in the place of the many desires that 
may actuate a being, the one desire to be rid of all things, 
to be rid of human responsibilities — in short, to be a leaf 
Pi> the human tree, to be blown here and there, to be 



64 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

used as a slave, to have every sense perverted and chang- 
ed into weak, Nirvana-bound inertness, which lives and 
dies, and shall be no more. 

The new age teaches manhood, in the true sense of 
the word. It teaches man to think, to desire, to plan; and, 
above all, it teaches him to execute his plans, to do, even 
if, in the doing, he must go through hells of fire in order 
to accomplish. For it is by doing, by suffering, if neces- 
sary, because of the determination to accomplish, that 
man becomes more of man, and through manhood even- 
tually reaches the consciousness of Godhood. 

The doctrine of the new age has no compliment for 
the coward, the negative being, who fears to do anything 
lest he may do wrong. It is signally true that those who 
fear to do are the very ones who are continually doing 
wrong, doing that which tends toward self-destructiveness ; 
since to do nothing because of fear is a greater evil 
than to make a mistake while trying to do right. He who 
continually fears that, through desiring some particular 
object or through desiring to accomplish some particular 
thing, he may be doing that which is wrong or detrimen- 
tal to himself, is, through that very attitude of mind, reap- 
ing harm more than he would by striving earnestly to 
realize the desire. To such an one, life is like the ser- 
pent in the grass, ever ready to lead him astray, ever 
ready to lead him to that which he fears is the hell of 
eternity. Such an one forgets that only he reaches the 
state of nothingness who hesitates and fears to undertake 
the responsibilities of manhood. On the other hand, to 
him who accepts bravely the responsibilities of manhood, 
life is the serpent of wisdom, which directs him into 
pleasant paths. 

Moreover, negative thoughts gradually change the 
polarity of the brain until at last the negative being can 
think no other thoughts than those of the pessimistic, 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 65 

type. Eventually, he arrives at the stage in which he sees 
the morbid and the destructive as right, while perversity 
of thought, desire, and act become to him as virtues to 
be followed. This is the delusion of a mind that has 
fallen into the negative state. 

Hope is not vanity and a snare. Hope is glorious and 
sublime. Hope is not merely the anticipation of a happy 
state in the future, but also the expectancy of success in 
the present life. For the future in both this and the next 
plane is founded upon the success of the present. He 
who does not endeavor to live a natural, normal, health- 
ful life here and now, he who does not achieve in the 
present sphere, will not be given the opportunity to 
achieve in another world. For the earth plane is the 
testing school of God wherein souls are tried and either 
found strong and willing to do and to dare or else found 
wanting and cast back into the ocean of universal sub- 
stance, there to lose individuality and consciousness. 

He cannot hope to meet with success, in whose breast 
is found the fear to do, where desire and hope should be. 
It is the desire and the hope to be or to do that stimu- 
lates man to act. If the desire is strong enough, not even 
a doubt in regard to accomplishment presents itself to 
his mind. 

In every heart, unless totally depraved, there is a 
spark, which, when aroused to life and activity, is a mighty 
power for good. There are, in fact, two diverse desires — 
the one is a desire for accomplishment, the other is a fear 
that it may not be right to accomplish. The latter has 
not always been a part of man; but, gradually, through 
the ages, by reason of the negative doctrines, it has found 
lodgment in his nature. But let it be a cause of encour- 
agement that the spark of good and noble desire is native 
to the soil of the human heart, and that it may be nurtured 
into a mighty Flame of pure unselfishness, which shines 
as a light in darkness. 



66 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

The negativeness found today in many, often called 
pessimism, is nothing more nor less than the germ of old 
age and decay in the heart of youth. It is only natural 
that the aged man should not be concerned about accom- 
plishment and should look forward to peace and rest. He 
has passed through the age of desire and hope, into, and 
through, the age of work and accomplishment; conse- 
quently, he is not at the stage of life in which fulfillment 
is looked for. But to find the germ of negativeness in 
the young man as it naturally appears in the aged man, 
is to be deplored. 

Negativeness is the natural and inevitable result of 
erroneous teachings, false philosophy, and religion — teach- 
ings which make of the human heart a coward, rather than 
the strong character one should be. The responsibility 
for negativeness in man's nature is to be laid at the door 
of those philosophies which teach him that it is necessary 
to kill out all earthly desires, in order to attain the state 
of bliss in a world to come. This abnormal teaching, this 
perverted idea, has gradually sown the seed of negative- 
ness and cowardice, and has made of man almost univer- 
sally a weak, negative, slave-like creature. 

The negative doctrine is the doctrine of the dark- 
ness of death, the doctrine of the night of life, when an 
age, once young and strong and pure, gradually came to 
the end of time, and when the youth of time had gradu- 
ally passed away, and with its passing left the thoughts 
and desires of old age. 

But the age of negativeness is passing away, and 
the age of manhood and positiveness is being ushered in. 
Not all of that which is dead has been buried and for- 
gotten, yet much of it has been relegated to the past as 
cost-off and outgrown garments. The youth of the new 
age is growing up, becoming strong, making use of the 
new doctrine, obeying the New Command, and positiveness. 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 67 

and manhood are becoming the rule rather than the ex- 
ception. 

Under the power of positive thought and positive 
life, society will soon be marked by two classes of indi- 
viduals. One clas,s will continue to follow the old belief 
that it is wrong to assert manhood and to strengthen nor- 
mal desires, and will become a slave to that which is nega- 
tive, perverted, dark, and lifeless, thus becoming slaves 
to stronger wills. The other class, having learned that 
only manhood and self-assertion pays, will give heed to 
the New Commandment, will strengthen desire and con- 
centration, will follow the star of hope and go forward 
in the work. 

In the pessimist, the natural elements are perverted. 
The perversions may be due to several cause,s. In some, 
perversity of nature may be attributed to hereditary con- 
ditions. In others, it may be ascribed to erroneous teach- 
ings. In still others, environment may be responsible for 
abnormal tendencies. While, in many, a combination of 
causes may account for perverse and negative conditions. 

Even so, there is within each individual a voice or 
an instinct that pictures the active life as the only truly 
desirable life to live. A mighty effort is required to 
free the self from the bonds of slavery, especially the 
slavery of thought. Nevertheless, if man is willing to 
pay the price, he can free him ( self from all objectionable 
fetters. It is the work and the message and the duty of 
the New Commandment to show even the most negative 
and degraded man how to assert the power inherent with- 
in himself, so as to gain freedom from every type of 
undesirable bondage. 

The one great, throbbing, seemingly vital factor to 
be overcome in the mind and the heart of man is fear. 
It is fear in ^onie form or another that holds the multi- 
tudes in bondage, preventing them from making an effort, 
stopping them on the very threshold of manhood. 



68 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Fear comes in various guises. A very common guise 
is the belief that certain desires are wrong: that desire 
for normal conquest, even conquest that is not at the ex- 
pense of others, is wrong; that desire for earthly love 
causes one to be denied heavenly love; that earthly pos- 
sessions forfeit heavenly treasures; that effort in a world- 
ly way precludes heavenly reward. Such ideas as these, 
abnormal and tantalizing fears, are the means of prevent- 
ing man from making the start in the Higher Life, pre- 
venting him from throwing off the shackles of serfdom 
and putting on the mantle of manhood. 

There is but one way to overcome — that is, to be a 
Man. Make up your mind that you care nothing whether 
it will mean destruction of soul and body or salvation of 
both, but that, come what will, you will make the start, 
that you will do things, that you will desire, hope, and 
accomplish, come what will. W,hen the mind once be- 
comes charged with a determination such as this, when 
xr:an begins to work in keeping with his determination, 
then, things will be accomplished. When all that is nega- 
tive and destructive in nature finds that it cannot enslave 
the mind, then, that which was formerly a negative, inert 
nature becomes a source of power; for Nature must first 
be completely overcome, before she will become the mis- 
tress of man and do his bidding. 



CHAPTER SEVEN 

Suppress a natural desire, and it becomes a vice. 

The normal youth, as well as the normal person of 
middle age, is full of the de,sires that naturally form a 
part of the life of man. These desires are manifold, and 
embrace almost every department of nature. Some of 
these have to do with the natural instincts, while others 
concern the possessions that are necessary in order to 
make life worth living. Each man is a law unto him- 
self, and the desires of each individual differ to a greater 
or lesser extent. 

Now it is not possible for all of the desires of man to 
be followed; for it is often the case that very different 
or even conflicting desires throb in the human heart at 
the same time. In this case, it becomes a matter of choice 
and selection rather than repression. To suppress a de- 
sire merely means that another desire takes its place. Nor- 
mal desire is to be compared to a spring or stream of 
water. If the channel of the spring or stream is unim- 
peded, the water remains clear and pure. But, if the 
channel is obstructed, the water becomes stagnant and 
poisonous. Just so with human desires. Suppress them 
and they become stagnant. A suppressed desire becomes 
stagnant desire; and a stagnant desire breaks out in a 
vice. It is for this reason, above all else, that negative 
doctrines are doing an untold harm. All doctrines, 
whether religious or philosophical, .-which teach that 
earthly desires are destructive, and that one can gain 
eternal life only through suppression of them, are doing 
an immense amount of harm. Those who accept this doc- 



70 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

trine, first of all become inert, desiring nothing; then this 
very inertness breaks out in a vice that poisons everything 
noble in the human being. From it results the lowest 
forms of life — it may be even the beggar that walks the 
streets, who cares for nothing, loves nothing, looks for- 
ward to nothing, except a place to sleep and sufficient 
to satisfy immediate hunger. As to his morality, men 
who have studied the question know that nowhere on 
earth is to be found deeper or more deplorable vice than 
among this class of people. 

The New Commandment teaches that the. religious 
and philosophical beggar is not a whit superior to the beg- 
gar of the streets. The one walks the earth, caring for 
nothing except to eat and sleep. The other teaches that 
the way to eternal happiness is by the way of no-desire, 
by the way of caring for nothing, seeking not earthly 
happiness or joy, because it involves care and responsi- 
bility. In fact, the beggar of the street is preferable be- 
cause he seldom imparts to others his destructive ideas. 

The way of strength is the way of responsibility. 
The way of responsibility is nature's way of making use 
of the manifold desires that spring up in the human breast 
— a way that is noble and divine, a way that will lead to 
success, to happiness, to manhood. This path to power 
is not strewn with human wrecks, nor is it marked by 
those who have become lepers of morality through sup- 
pression of desire. This path is for the youth and the 
man of mature age who has selected one supreme de- 
sire from the manifold desires that have had power over 
him, and who is willing to bend all his energies toward 
the realization of this one chosen ambition. 

To select one supreme desire as the predominating 
power in one's life, does not mean the suppression of form- 
er or lesser desires. On the contrary, the lesser desires 
find satisfaction in the accomplishment of the greater. All 



THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 71 

lesser desires are used, transmuted, changed, in the task 
of realizing the greater. This is natural, normal develop- 
ment. It develops true manhood through the royal road 
of work, of (accomplishment, of responsibility; and it 
makes truly a man and not a weakling. Of a truth, there 
are many paths that lead to accomplishment, but the path 
of effort, of responsibility, of service, is the only safe 
path. The one who is morally weak will find it a hard 
road to travel. It will not allow him the ease and the in- 
ertness of a life of idleness and indecision. But, when 
one is well along the path, his former weaknesses will 
have pas,sed away; and he will enter the fight with zeal. 
Nature will cause him to feel that he is in the right, that 
he is using creative energy, which must eventually bring 
success if he continues faithful to the right. 

The path of energy and positiveness is a difficult path 
also for the physically weak. Theirs is not the strength 
to cope with conditions and to show forth good results. 
But if one is faithful, every trial, every test, every failure, 
will give greater strength, until, in good time, he will dis- 
cover that progress is being made, and that strength and 
power are hi,s. A new trial after a failure is easier than 
was the former trial; and, like others, he realizes that 
success and happiness are for those who overcome, and 
not for those who take all things as they are, without an 
effort to remove the cause of failures and reverse^. In 
strength and victory, he is far superior to those who, from 
fear of failure, make no attempt whatever. 

He who tries to suppress the desires natural to man, 
gradually comes to a stage in which he i,s weary of all 
things. The earth is an undesirable place to live. Even 
the thought of heaven has lost its charm. The suppres- 
sion of normal desires, the suppression of desires for 
earthly pleasure and enjoyment, has killed out its counter- 
part — the desire for bliss, for happiness, in a future state. 



72 THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 

Suppression of desire is a deadly poison. It poisons 
not only the body, but the heart and the soul as well. It 
quenches the fires of the soul. It destroys the creative 
energy of the mind. It kills manhood, and there is little 
left of the human being except the body and a diseased 
condition. True it is that, where there are desires for 
things of the earth, and where there is joy, there will also 
be the companion of joy — that is, sorrow. True it is that 
he who desires and loves and knows keen enjoyment will 
feel sorrow keenly. True it is that, for those who know, 
and who have acute sensibilities, there is more >sorrow 
than joy. All this is freely admitted. But who is so 
weak as to forfeit success for fear of the possibility of 
a lo,ss? What normal and healthy person would refuse 
to love and be loved, simply because of the possibility of 
losing love? 

Indeed, there are some who will shun a joy because 
a sorrow may follow. But the true man, the strong man, 
the man that would know Immortality, will accept the 
blessings of today and will not borrow trouble for to- 
morrow. He has known joy, and i,s willing to know joy, 
realizing full well that sorrow, even if it does come, can- 
not last forever, and that the joy he has once known may 
be known again. 

Moreover, sorrow, like its twin, joy, is for a pur- 
pose. The purpose is not only to strengthen, but to give 
experience and knowledge. He who shrinks from the at- 
tainment of experience and knowledge is not a complete 
man. The normal man invites conditions which test one's 
strength. He is not willing to pass anything by, which 
might be to his advantage. He does not hide himself 
away in seclusion, in order to avoid a disagreeable experi- 
ence. On the contrary, he marks a path to be trod, and 
follows it to the end, no matter what may befall him. For 
life is an experience, a school; and an attempt to evade, 



,THE WAY TO GODHOOD 73 

lo pass something, is to be forced to return again and 
again, until the character is well rounded and the destiny 
of existence i k s fulfilled. 

The man who is normally and naturally born is full 
of desires; and, for every desire, there is potential pow- 
er. The desire is proof of a power to accomplish accord- 
ing to the desire. If man does not accomplish, it i,s be- 
cause he has abused the talents with which God has en- 
dowed him. To the man, normally born, with a fair de- 
gree of health, and a natural desire to have and to do, 
are entrusted certain talents. If he is truly a man, and 
if his mind is not poisoned with false and destructive 
doctrines, he will make use of the talents given him by 
bringing his desires into manifestation by good works. As 
his desires are satisfied and realized and worked out, de- 
sires for greater achievement take their place. These also 
he executes, and become,s an honor to God and to him- 
self and to his fellow men. He gains in manhood and 
makes progress toward Godhood. 

On the other hand, the man born into the world with' 
normal physical powers and normal desires, who does not 
bring his desires and potentialities into manifestation 
either because of indifference or because of belief in a 
negative philosophy, is like the one in the Biblical para- 
ble who buried his talent for fear of losing it, and then 
charged the master with being "a hard master." Such 
an one is not a true man, manhood is not part of him. 
He is a weakling and a coward, and not to be classed as 
one of the children of the Father. He has made the will 
of the Father null and void. He has robbed himself of 
his own lawful inheritance. 

True it is that the master is a hard master to those 
who disobey His divine law,s. His laws are so clear and 
plain that no one can say he did not understand. The 
first requisite of life is health and strength. To gain this 



74 THE WAY, TO GODHOOD 

is man's first duty. A reasonable degree of health and 
strength is within the reach of all. It is only required to 
follow the clear markings of Nature. Her laws are plain, 
simple, and easily followed. Their name is "Simplicity 
in all things." 

As man becomes master, as he approaches manhood's 
true estate, he nears the danger line. It is a fact well 
known to all who have travelled the path of constructive- 
ness, that a sense of self-sufficiency and of individuality 
is attended by a danger peculiar to itself. It may incline 
one to separate himself from human help and from hu- 
man need. One may feel that he is no longer in need 
of human association and human assistance. This is a 
great mistake. No one can stand utterly alone. This is 
the stage in development that demands careful watchful- 
ness. Even though it might be possible for one to live 
comparatively to himself and satisfy hi-5 own needs, yet the 
Great Law is that as one has attained the higher conscious- 
ness, so much the more should he remain among mankind, 
openly and freely helping them and pointing out the way 
to them. Though it may not be necessary for him to be 
iti active association with the multitudes, it is, neverthe- 
less, necessary for him to form a bond of unity and to 
work with others who are of like thought and like inter- 
ests. When individualists form a bond and become united, 
the greatest power for good results. 

To accept individuality and power as an indication 
that we should free ourselves from others, and should 
separate ourselves from those whose inclinations are for- 
eign to ours, thus hiding the light that should shine, would 
be to defeat the very end and aim of mastership. In a 
short time, thi^s very isolation and separateness would re- 
sult in destroying the individuality. Any power, energy, 
or potency that is allowed to lie dormant through non-use 
will become weak because it is not put to its test. As the 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 75 

animal that hibernates, living on its own fat and its own 
strength, by the time ,spring returns, is weak and lean, so 
does the mystic become emaciated and lifeless, who uses 
not his powers to the benefit of humanity. 

A power, an energy, or a faculty, once gained, must 
be constantly put to the test in order to keep up its own 
strength. The Divine Law is so absolute that, when this 
is done, additional strength is given to it. But, if it is 
allowed to lie dormant even for a short time, its strength 
and resistent powers are reduced. If it remains dormant 
for too long a time, all its potency, energy, and power are 
lost, and it becomes again as it was in the beginning. The 
life of the ordinary human being illustrates this principle. 
Coming into the world without power and without strength, 
he grows into strength, power, and beauty; but, through 
ignorance of the Law, when reaching the height of power, 
he begins to v/eaken and decline, until in the end he is 
no stronger than at the time of birth. 

This process of accumulating, using, and declining 
of strength and power, men generally have considered as 
natural, ,simply because of the false philosophy, the race 
belief, that it is a natural, normal process. At the same 
time, nevertheless, we have been taught that man is a 
piototype of God, having His power in a potential state, 
though in a less degree. We are forgetful of the fact 
that He in whose image man is created is today the same 
as He was centuries ago, and that He has, in no wise, 
declined in power or creative ability. We are forgetful 
of the fact that it is inconsistent for man, made in the 
likeness of the Divine, to pas,s through the stage of de- 
cline — all because of false, destructive, negative philos- 
ophy and teachings, an utterly false race belief in the 
necessity of weakness, decline, and death. 



76 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 



CHAPTER EIGHT 

Servitude Follows Weakness. 

When the individual loses his manhood, at that mo- 
ment he descends to a state of bondage, selling himself, 
though possibly unconsciously, into serfdom. 

In like manner, the moment a nation lqses its sense 
of manhood and strength, at that moment does it begin 
to decay and to decline; and, at once, other nations be- 
gin to rule it, to hold sway over it, and gradually to sub- 
jugate it. That this is so, take, for example, India, with 
its vast millions of people, many times more inhabitants 
than has the far-away nation that rules it. 

Manhood, a conscious recognition of the power that 
one inherently possesses, is the only safeguard to liberty. 
It is the only possession that gives a man freedom — free- 
dom not only from the tyranny of another, but freedom 
from destructive vices, freedom from sickness, freedom 
from pitiful bondage to negative thoughts and moods. 
Say what we will, the strong ever rule the weak. A 
negative goodness i,s no protection whatever. The man 
that yields unresistingly to his own weakness, to the en- 
treaties of others, and to untoward circumstances lacks 
manhood, and is far from the freedom that make,s one 
a man in the true sense of the word. 

He who has conserved his strength, who has not al- 
followed false ideas to turn his natural desires into unnat- 
ural channels, who holds to a philosophy or a religion 
that is strong, virile, and full of love, but, withal, full of 
power and a sense of right — he is the man that is well- 
nigh invincible. Just as it is with the individual, so is it 

with the nation, 



78 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

It is manhood of this type that the New Command- 
ment teaches — manhood that results from a system of nat- 
ural and rational living, which frees the body from weak- 
ness and disease, which strengthens and brightens the 
mind, which furnishes a natural religion, a religion that 
has for its theme the soul, the Divine Spark within, pro- 
totype of the Father, capable of being brought into con- 
scious individuality and into a potency that is Godlike 
and all powerful. A system of natural living, three-fold 
in its application, including mind, body, and soul, will 
make of man a true Man, will give him the strength and 
the power and the goodness that enable him to resist 
all undesirable forces, be what they may, which would 
bind him to serfdom and cause him to do what he does 
not want to do or which would take from him something 
be truly loves. 

It is men of this type — men who follow a system 
of rational living, men who give heed to the New Com- 
mandment — that will gradually free the world of it,s 
weaknesses, crimes, vices, and slavery. Weakness, crime, 
vice, and slavery are the result of destructive doctrines, 
doctrines that teach beggarism, a negative goodness, and 
the stagnation of desires and forces natural to man. As 
a result of destructive teachings, man no longer knows 
what is good and pure, and no longer cares whether men 
live or die, ,so long as he has reason to expect a heaven 
cf bliss in the Hereafter. 

As a result of such teachings, man is indifferent to 
everything except the one anticipation of bliss in the Here- 
after, as a reward for denying himself physical pleasures 
and enjoyments in the here and now. He cherishes this 
anticipation, notwithstanding the fact that jhe has put 
forth no effort whatever to build a spiritual body, which 
will enable him to enjoy bliss in the Beyond. 

This has been the history of nations: whenever a na- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 79 

tion ha,s given up positive goodness, that is, belief in the 
necessity of strong, virile manhood, and the necessity of 
bringing into perfection the powers of the physical being, 
as well as the soul, belief in the necessity of developing 
and unfolding the constructive and creative powers of his 
own nature, and belief in a virile religion — then that na- 
tion has begun to decline and decay. 

Here, again, we have no better example than India, 
with its teeming millions; for it is in India, above all 
other countries, that we find negative goodness. In the 
main, India is a nation that holds to negative Yogism, 
which is a system of negative beliefs, negative goodness, 
and negative individualism. Religion of this type consid- 
ers it a glorious thing for a man to deny all natural de- 
sires. This type of religion maintains that the chief end 
of man is to allow every natural desire and impulse to 
stagnate, and that desire for earthly possession^, earthly 
joy, earthly love, is a mortal sin, which denies the soul 
admittance into the realms of bliss. It may even go to 
the extreme of teaching that to sit in one posture until 
the body becomes stiff, to repeat certain prayers, to beg 
for a living, having neither houses nor lands nor place 
to lay the head, is the divine life. 

It may be freely admitted that this class of religionists 
are not guilty of pronounced sins of commission. In 
their acts, in their conduct, in their life, may be manifest 
1:0 grievous sin or evil. But theirs is constantly the ,sin 
of omission. Theirs is the sin of negativeness. Theirs 
is the sin of inactivity, of inertness, of weakness. They 
are guilty of the sin of non-effort to develop and to use 
the divine power,s entrusted to them; consequently, 
through non-use, these powers wither and die, losing the 
possibility of becoming the instruments of conscious in- 
dividuality. They perform no useful labor, thereby 
Jbreaking the first a&d greatest command pf God—which is, 



8 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

that man, being born in the image of the Creator, ,should 
be like Him. The Creator is truly and indisputably a 
God of activity, a Being of creative skill and power. In 
this respect in particular, man should be like his Creator — 
ever active, progressive, and alert. 

Moreover, through this negative life, they crush out 
all strength and virility, that which is the glory of the 
true man. Through the weakness thus induced they either 
ignore or wilfully transgress the laws of nature, and 
eventually become slaves not only to themselves and their 
own false conception of life, but to others as well. For, 
in every land and in every age and in every clime, the 
stronger rules the weaker. 

Of ah nations, those of northern climates are the 
strongest. With few exceptions, the people of the north 
have believed in a God of activity, a God that takes de- 
light in accomplishments, in new creations, in evolutions 
and developments and growth. Innately they feel that 
strength comes to man by doing that which falls to his 
lot to do. 

Belief that earthly desires are wrong, belief in the 
subjection of the body — that these beliefs are necessary 
in order to make the soul fit for entrance into the kingdom 
of heaven, is the direct cause of weakness; and weak- 
ness is ever the cau^e of serfdom. He who is weak be- 
comes the slave of weakness, a slave to his own wrong 
conception of life, first of all, then, a slave to others. A 
wrong conception of life is the cause of disease. They 
who believe that it is necessary for the body to suffer and 
to be in misery in order that the soul may be glorified, 
will naturally make no effort to strengthen the body; for, 
to do so would be sin. But physical weakness is not the 
end. It is rather the beginning of decline. In the be- 
ginning, the progenitors may be merely physically weak. 
Physical weakness, however, spreads an.4 makes rapid in- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 81 

road,s through the entire being of succeeding generations, 
until, in time, the people has become a nation of weak- 
lings — weaklings in body, in mind, and in soul. 

The inactive, effortless life causes the physical frame 
to weaken and to become disease-racked. This state grad- 
ually brings on mental weakness and disorders. Thus, 
the mind loses its accuracy in viewing things. Conditions 
of life are seen from a wrong angle and in an untrue per- 
spective. That which, to the normal, healthy mind, is 
holy and worthy becomes to the morbid mind unholy and 
altogether undesirable, something, indeed, to be shunned. 
To a mind thus warped and distorted, every manly sport, 
everything in life that would help to build up the body, be- 
comes a sin, something to be guarded against, to be con- 
demned, possibly to be legislated against, until, in the end, 
there is only weakness and imbecility left. Such a state 
of weakness and negativeness will gradually unfit man for 
all that makes life worth the living. Such men become 
unfit for business. Even if they enter the legitimate marts 
of trade, they are dull and slow-witted, and are left far 
behind by their more active competitors. 

The result is easily foreseen. Not being able to ac- 
cummulate the necessities of life, they are unable to live 
respectably. Then, the morbid mind begins to ferment 
its deadly poisons. The mind so disordered through un- 
natural living and unnatural thinking is unable to deter- 
mine the cause of its difficulties and to place the blame 
and the responsibility where they belong. Such a mind 
accuses others of unjust dealings and all other sins of 
which the human heart is capable. Such a mind blames 
others and places upon other shoulders the responsibility 
that properly belongs upon its own. The acceptance of a 
natural religion, a natural philosophy of life, a rational 
system of constructive living, would reveal to such a mind 
the cause of its difficulties and would enable it to remove 



82 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

the cause and to plant in its place the cause of better con- 
ditions. 

It must be granted, on the other hand, that exploita- 
tion of the weak is by far too nearly universal. This is 
freely admitted. But the fact remains that no man need 
continue a weakling, that all men can gain a reasonable 
degree of physical strength and mental vigor, and there- 
by be able to cope with others, with those who would 
despoil them. All may gain sufficient strength and self- 
reliance to prevent others from despoiling him and his. 

The world is sadly in need of men — men free from 
weakness, free from slavery to their own unnatural be- 
liefs, and free from worship at the shrine of their own 
unnatural and destructive law. Sad, indeed, to think 
that the masses are in bondage to themselves and there- 
fore to others ! 

The man that is clean and pure physically, mentally, 
and spiritually will have the advantage every time over 
the man that is physically and mentally and spiritually 
unclean and impure. The man who is truly man, physi- 
cally, mentally, and spiritually, can be the slave of no one, 
not even of the most corrupt politician; for, just as the 
beast in the jungle knows when it meets a master, so the 
most degraded, though seemingly possessed of unlimited 
power, recognizes the superiority of him who manifests 
true manhood and true strength. In proportion as men 
recognize these facts and begin to live in harmony with 
them, those who now take advantage of the weak will be 
forced to give way and to relinquish their hold upon them. 
Then will be a brighter day. 

The greatest degradation that a nation can know is 
when the men of that nation have sunk so low, through 
unnatural living and abnormal thinking, that they allow 
the few to deal unjustly with their women and children in 
whatever way they wish, Is there a lower stage to which 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 83 

a nation can fall? Can there be anything more degrading 
than that the innocent should be exploited, injured, worked 
to death, starved to death, given no opportunity whatever 
for development either mental or physical? 

Men are to be held accountable for their weakness be- 
cause they have the opportunity to develop their powers, 
to strengthen their weak points, to live a natural life, and 
thus to become strong, virile, and free. But women and 
children are dependent on men for their protection, and 
where there is no manhood, then is there is no protection. 
Where there is no manhood, there is no conscience to call 
a halt; and the few in power without any moral sense 
whatever will drive the innocent to the farthest limit of 
work and torture. 

And, in this instance again, India may be cited as an 
example — India, with its; negative philosophy, with its 
negative teachings, that normal manhood, normal desires, 
desires for earthly happiness and joy, are destructive to 
the (Soul and will deny it entrance into the realms of bliss. 
Nowhere in all the world are the women and the children 
reduced to such a state of degradation as in far India 
with its once glorious, beautiful, and sublime philosophy. 

The more of an imbecile a man becomes, the more 
ready is he to decry all that is manly. The more a slave 
to his own weakness he becomes, the more is he ready to 
blame others with his condition. The working man who 
is not earning a respectable 'living for his family is ready 
to decry those who give him employment. It is very 
probable that his employers do not treat him justly. This 
may be readily admitted. Nevertheless, it must be ad- 
mitted, also, that this same man is unwilling to study and 
to apply himself and to put forth untiring effort to fit 
himself for better conditions. He \s not willing to live a 
normal, natural life, in order to gain physical health and 
strength and the ability to think consecutively and con* 



84 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

structively. He puts forth little effort to become so strong 
that he need not be at the beck and call of the shrewd 
and wiley. He does not truly seek freedom for himself 
and for those he lovers. He lives only to denounce and 
to be exploited. 

Let man begin to live the natural, normal life. Let 
him give up those things which are unnatural, abnormal, 
and weakening. Let him take up the constructive life. 
Let him cultivate his mind and mental powers. Even 
though he has but a few minutes each day to devote to 
self-improvement, things will soon change, if he will only 
make the best possible u,se of these precious moments. 
The man who does this will soon be able to think and to 
act for himself. He will act as he thinks in spite of un- 
favorable circumstances. Such a man will soon be able 
by his own manliness to prevent unjust dealings on the 
part of others. 

Let man seek his God. To do this i t s the eternal quest 
of life. Yet let it be remembered that the quest for God 
and the spiritual life is not the whole, but only the half, 
of the true life. The other half is his duty to humanity 
iij general and to himself, in his threefold nature, body, 
mind, and soul. Let him free himself, first of all, from 
physical weakness and from physical defects; for, just as 
long as there are physical abnormalities, so long will there 
be mental deficiencies. So long as there are physical and 
mental abnormalities and indiscretions, the soul cannot 
reach perfection. 

The tree on which the rose grows must be of good 
Stock. Otherwise, \the jose cannot (be iperject. More~ 
over, unless the sun shines upon the tree and the buds, 
the rose cannot be perfect. The shadowy grow, not beau- 
tiful flowers, but poisonous fungi. 

In like manner, if the body of man is not brought to 
a state of strength, the soul, which is the flower thereof. 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 85 

cannot be perfect. The sunshine necessary to bring the 
blqssom to perfection is the joy of life, the healthy de- 
sire for happiness, and love for one's fellow men. 

The New Commandment, "Be a man and thou mayst 
be a god," is a religion of Manhood, of Godhood, of Free- 
dom — freedom from every form and description of 
slavery because it is freedom from every form and de- 
scription of weakness. 



8S THE WAY TO GODHOOB 



CHAPTER NINE 

Natural Instincts Are the Promptings of Nature — the 
Handmaid of God, and the Mother of Goodness — 
and Are, Therefore, Good. 

Natural instincts are given man for a noble purpose. 
In the normal man of a fair degree of health, natural in- 
stincts are the promptings of Mother Nature, telling him 
what to do and urging him to do it. 

In the human heart, there are two sets of emotions. 
One set is the natural instincts, which have to do with the 
body and the physical being, its welfare and happiness. 
The other i,s from the Divine Being within the physical. 
This emotion is made known through the Voice of Con- 
science, or Intuition. 

In the normal man, the physical part is co-equal with 
the soulual part of hi,s nature. Neither one is greater 
than the other. If there is a preponderance of one over 
the other, the life of that man is, to that extent, abnormal 
and unbalanced, and is in need of a readjustment that 
will restore equilibrium. 

The Voice of the physical being is natural instinct. 
The Voice of the soul is Conscience, or Intuition. The 
New Commandment, which admonishes the cultivation of 
manhood in order that Godhood may be realized, places 
equal stress on the importance of understanding and giv- 
ing heed to each voice. 

Those philosophies which teach that Nature herself 
is the antagonist of God, and that to follow Nature is to 
reap condemnation, also teach that natural instincts are 
evil and will lead to destruction of soul and to the for- 



88 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

feiture of a place in the heaven of peace. This is only 
to be expected. The latter is the logical conclusion of 
the former principle. If it be true that Nature is antag- 
onistic to goodness, then it follows as an inevitable result 
that man's natural instincts are misleading. The New 
Commandment, however, with its emphasis upon man- 
hood, virility, and activity, takes exception to the first 
premise, and distinctly teaches that Nature, the Handmaid 
of God, is good; and that man's natural instincts are in- 
herently good. True, his instincts and impulses may be- 
come perverted, as, indeed, any good may be turned into 
wrong channels and thus become other than good. The 
doctrine that Nature is antagonistic to God and to good- 
ness is part and parcel of an unnatural, negative, destruc- 
tive philosophy. It has no place in the religion and the 
philosophy of him who is normal and well balanced. 

Possibly the whole misconception has come about 
gradually through a misunderstanding of what is ac- 
tually wrong and what actually constitutes ,sin. Time was 
when the falling in love of a young man with a fair maid- 
en, if not agreeable to the parents of one or the other, 
was labelled witchcraft. The fact that a normal, vigorous, 
strong young man should become infatuated with the smile 
and the charms of a maiden, contrary to the parents' 
wishes, could be explained in no other way than that 
she was the messenger of the evil one, a witch, and that 
the boy innocently but unfortunately became the victim 
of her bewitching power. Strange idea this ! So it seems 
to us now. Strange indeed, that any such interpretation 
could ever have been placed upon the normal, natural 
event of loving and being loved. Yet it is a simple item 
of history, that many have met a horrible death because 
they dared to follow the laws of God and of Nature and 
to cherish in the heart the most holy of all pa,ssions. 

This one illustration serves as a sample of the many 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 89 

misconceptions of right and wrong prevalent among men. 
The discarded belief in witchcraft and the pitiful re- 
strain, exacted upon the joyous spontaneity of childhood 
are relics of the negative teachings of a past age. None 
the less woeful and none the less disastrous, however, 
are the negative doctrines of the present age and the 
grievous misconceptions of right and wrong that have 
grown out of them. 

Fundamental among these negative teachings is the 
erroneous principle that Nature and God are antagonis- 
tic terms and that natural instincts in man are antago- 
nistic to the spiritual instincts of his nature. This prin- 
ciple inevitably leads to the conclusion that every natural 
instinct and desire is wrong, and, consequently, to be 
shunned. Love of home, friends, congenial surround- 
ings; interest in temporal treasures and material con- 
cerns; regard for the many possibilities of culture and 
self-improvement; fondness for the artistic and the beau- 
tiful in every department of life — under the ban placed 
upon natural instincts, all these normal inclinations of 
the human heart are to be regarded as wrong! No won- 
der inertness and sluggishness become the pronounced 
traits of him who accepts such a principle. No wonder 
an entirely perverted and distorted view of life becomes 
his who endeavors to carry out a principle like this. 

In view of the fact that this negative doctrine, in 
many subtle ways, is making inroads upon the people, the 
time is ripe for marked emphasis to be placed upon the 
New Commandment, "Be a man and thou mayst become a 
god." 

Manhood — virile, vigorous, strong, self-reliant, self- 
assertive manhood — is the need of the hour. Manhood, 
strength of character, activity, progress, advancement, 
growth, power, virility, usefulness, and hearty co-opera- 
tion in matters that concern the public weal — this must 



90 THE WAY, TO GODHOOD 

be the ideal of him who aspires to Godhoocl and the De- 
ific Consciousness. 

Individuality — development of the manifold powers 
inherent, yet, for the most part, latent, in man's nature, 
and the employment of these powers in channels of use- 
ful endeavor — this ideal, the ideal of Individuality and 
negative goodness. 

Let the watchword of the INew Commandment — * 
Manhood, must supplant the standard of inactivity and 
MANHOOD — be made to ring incessantly in the ears of 
men. 

Let each honest heart become convinced of the good- 
ness of Mother Nature. Let each realize that Nature is 
the Handmaid of God, His helper, aye, even His Spouse, 
honored and well beloved in His sight. 

Let this truth be heralded far and near: 

The natural instincts of the normal man represent 
the voice of Nature; and, if honored and obeyed by him, 
they become the means of leading him to his divine in- 
heritance. They are stepping stones to the Deific Con- 
sciousness. Like anything else, they may be misunder- 
stood, misapplied, misdirected, and even perverted. But, 
if correctly understood and normally satisfied, they are 
interpreters of truth, promoters of the highest good, and 
messengers of the Divine. The principle of interpreta- 
tion to be applied to the instincts that prompt action i,s 
simple — namely, Will gratification of a<n impulse harm 
either the self or another? If so, gratification is forbid- 
den. If not, it is granted. If gratification (will tiarm 
or in any way weaken the self or bring sorrow, loss, or 
disadvantage to another, it is to be avoided, no matter 
how the impulse comes, whether as a natural instinct or as 
a cherished dogma of some religious sect. 

Nature is [the Mother of creation. Nature is the 
avenue through which God manifests. Just as it is nee- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 91 

essary for the soul to possess a body through which to 
manifest its activities and to work out its destiny, so is 
Nature the channel through which God constantly mani- 
fests His creative functioning. Similarly, the natural in- 
stincts in man are the normal prompting of Nature, lead- 
ing him to develop and to make the most of his divine 
powers, and thus to manifest his own God-likeness. 

The origin of negative philosophies is worthy of 
comment. Every religious belief that has given to the 
world the idea that desire for earthly happiness, earthly 
love, and earthly possessions is evil, and that gratification 
of natural instincts is evil, was formulated by men of 
abnormal tendencies and abnormal habits. Either they 
had in youth gratified all instincts of their nature, natural 
and unnatural indiscriminately, or they were born with 
blighted natures. They may have been born with strong 
natural powers, which they abused to the utmost limit 
or they may have been born with a deficiency of natural 
powers. In either case, they were abnormal and unnat- 
ural. Thu,s, it is merely an historic fact, which may be 
verified by any earnest student, that the founders of neg- 
ative doctrines have been men of abnormal, negative ten- 
dencies. The record of the founders should be sufficient 
to teach us what to accept and what to reject. 

To remember the following facts will enable us to 
view Nature and natural instincts in a correct perspec- 
tive. The force that gives natural instincts to man is 
the very force that causes the rose to spring up and grow, 
to put forth buds, which, with the help of the sun, burst 
open in glory into a perfect blossom. The force in na- 
ture that causes the lily to spring up from the soil, pos- 
sibly a soil of mire and filth heavily polluted, is the very 
force that, in man, prompts him to love and be loved, to 
serve and be served, to enjoy and take delight in objects 
of grace and beauty. The lily, an emblem of absolute 



92 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

purity, as the rose, emblem of absolute perfection, ful- 
fils its mission to the glory of God and Nature. 

There is this difference between the force that opens 
the bud and ripens the fruit and the force that impels man 
to love, enjoy and take delight. Neither the rose nor the 
lily has free-will. They are each perfect recipients of 
the forces of nature that promotes growth. With man, 
however, it is different. Having the right of choice, he 
is not a perfect recipient of the law of goodness. He is 
not a perfect instrument through which the Law may 
function and manifest its beauty. Exercising the power 
of choice, he too often accepts an abnormal doctrine of 
life and thus turns into devious channels the law of Na- 
ture operating through him. He too often lives an un- 
natural, abnormal life, and does not even allow the physi- 
cal being — the tree — to develop normal proportions. Much 
less does the flower — the soul within — under such condi- 
tions blossom into glory and beauty. In almost all' in- 
stances, the plantlet, which might become the jsoul, is bur- 
ied beneath a vast accumulation of rubbish — false beliefs, 
false conceptions, and perverse, detrimental habits of life. 
The Divine Spark within — the soul in process of making 
— does not even reach the bud state, much less the stage 
of the full blown rose, the stage of Illumination and God- 
hood. 

In her domain, Nature is as absolute as is God in His 
domain. The physical side of existence belongs to Na- 
ture; to God, the spiritual ,side of being. Neither God 
nor Nature is false to the domain allotted to each. It 
is only man, although he incorporates in his being both 
God and Nature, who abuses his powers and dishonors 
both God and Nature. To abuse either his physical or his 
spiritual powers is to abuse and to dishonor both sides 
of his being. 

He who refuses to respect and to obey the voice of 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 93 

Nature made known to him through the normal instincts, 
failjs to develop the physical being to its highest state of 
development. More than this, through neglect to perfect 
the physical, the (Spiritual suffers. The physical corre- 
sponds to the tree on which the rose grows, the stalk on 
which the lily blooms. Unless the tree and the stalk are 
strong and vigorous and thrifty, the rose and the lily 
cannot be perfect blossoms. 

Natural instincts must teach man to be spontaneous 
and to live the normal, healthful life. The babe in the 
cradle is a specimen of wholesome spontaneity. The 
child, before it has developed self-consciousness and be- 
come hampered by the unnatural restraints demanded by 
an unnatural standard of life, is a sample of naturalness 
and ease. Almost the first expression of the babe is the 
smile. The smile represents joy and pleasantry. It rep- 
resents a nature that is innately and instinctively joyous 
and free. This, the child nature, gives us the correct 
standard of life, and indicates that the natural instincts 
encourage and stimulate and foster joy, happiness, spon- 
taneity, and naturalness. 

With the normal, healthy child, the first requisite 
is physical satisfaction. For this, it expresses appre- 
ciation by the smile and other baby ways of showing 
peace and contentment. Through the body, the soul 
smiles its satisfaction and ease. As the child grows, in 
each stage of advance, it manifests in varying ways an in- 
clination toward activity, pleasantry, and physical grati- 
fication. The healthy child unquestioningly heeds its nat- 
ural promptings. It is satisfied with nothing less than 
almost incessant motion. It is forever doing (Something. 
In its enjoyment of play, everything else is forgotten. 

This, however, is before the child has been taught 
a false philosophy, before he has been led to exercise ab- 
normal restraint over his natural instincts and desires. 



94 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

The stage of freedom and naturalness in the child gives 
way when he is led to question and to doubt the Tight- 
ness of Nature's promptings. Under the false instruc- 
tion that natural instincts are destructive and that desire 
for earthly pleasures and earthly joy interferes with man's 
eternal bliss, fear and restraint all too soon supplant ease, 
naturalness, and spontaneity. 

If man were normal, he would do as the child does. 
He would satisfy the physical being with wholesome 
foods, the foods that sustain strength and vigor, the foods 
that properly nourish physical cravings, without unduly 
stimulating them. Like the child, he would bend all his 
energies into channels of creative work, creative and con- 
structive thought, wholesome enterprises for the better- 
ment of himself and other,s. With this, his natural in- 
stincts would be so thoroughly satisfied that they would 
not seek gratification in undesirable channels. 

The philosophy that teaches man to repress natural 
instincts and to deny the desire for earthly joy and hap- 
piness, for the sake of gaining heavenly joy and bliss, 
succeeds in doing for heavenly joy the very thing it docs 
for earthly joy and peace. To deny the one is to deny 
the other. Man is a twofold being with a twofold nature 
and a twofold duty. Consequently, he must live a two- 
fold life. The life of the physical demands activity. 
The life of the soul finds satisfaction in a religious wor- 
ship that stimulates and fosters daily development of soul 
powers. The soul is satisfied with nothing less than con- 
stant growth and progress. This demands activity, effort, 
and untiring zeal. 

Some one may ,say that the New Commandment, in 
the honor it bestows upon Nature, encourages Nature Wor- 
ship, that it takes man away from God, that it gives loose 
reins to the gross passions. Nothing can be farther from 
the truth, The New Commandment advocates normal 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 95 

gratification of normal instincts, natural gratification of 
natural instincts. By no means does it advocate indiscrimi- 
nate indulgence. It recognizes that the desires and instincts 
of him who lives an unnatural, abnormal, inactive life are 
abnormal and unnatural. It recognizes that suppression of 
normal desires gives place to abnormal passions and vice, 
but that he who suppresses normal desires fails to see that 
which takes their place as something- abnormal and degrad- 
ing, because his judgment and his vision have become en- 
slaved, weakened, and even poisoned through the impov- 
erishment of suppressed desire. 

Nature pays no homage to sorrow. The worship of 
sorrow has no part in the teachings of Nature or of God. 

It must be admitted that he who has attained even 
the highest state of physical and spiritual development may 
experience sorrow, the los t s of a friend or a loved one. 
He may experience loss of property or possessions. He 
may experience temporary defeat in a cherished plan. But, 
to him of lofty development of body and soul, it is not a 
"sorrow unto despair." To him, there may be the pain of 
parting; but he ,sees it only as a temporary loss. He sees 
all things as being in the process of change. Anything that 
is truly ours is ours forever, though it may undergo many 
and varied changes. 

Wisdom is not something to lay hold of and to know, 
and to keep or to part with. Wisdom is a ,state -of being 
into which we must grow, through obedience to both nat- 
ural and divine law. Say what we will, man cannot fully 
and truly obey the Divine Law, while refusing obedience 
to the natural law. From one point of view, the two 
are twain. From another point of view, the two are one; 
and one is as important and as truly fundamental in its 
significance as the other. 

If things of the soul alone are all-sufficient for man, 
it was an unwise plan for the Almighty Father to send 



93 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

the soul into the earth existence to gain experience and 
knowledge. Moreover, it seems little short of criminal on 
Ji is part, to have planted in man's nature instincts and in- 
ch-nations that are inherently evil, simply for the sake of 
testing his ability to deny them. 

We are told that, when God created man, He looked 
upon His handiwork and pronounced it not only "good," 
but even "very good." Man was then innately and in- 
herently as he is now — endowed with divine attributes and 
potentialities and possibilities. He possessed the instincts 
and the cravings that belong to a natural being in a natural 
world. He couched in his being the Divine Spark, then 
as now — the ,spark of Divinity within his humanity, ca- 
pable of becoming an individualized center of Deific Con- 
sciousness. There is this difference, however: on the day 
cf creation as referred to in the Biblical narrative, man 
was in a world ruled by Nature, the Handmaid, the Bride, 
cf God, and not, as now, in a world hampered and oppress- 
ed by the rule of false, unnatural, negative philosophies. 

Before man can become natural (and he must become 
natural before he can become divine), it is necessary for 
him to ca,st aside, and to throw into the limbo of forgotten 
things, the belief that natural instincts are destructive and 
degrading. He must accept a new philosophy, the New 
Commandment, which teaches that the natural is the means* 
by which, and through which, he is to reach the Divine. 
He must cease repressing normal instincts. He must rath- 
er see that they are properly cultivated and given every 
opportunity to expand into natural powers. The natural 
instinct that is satisfied in a normal way becomes a natural 
power. Every available power must be used in the de- 
velopment of divine strength and in the building of a foun- 
dation whereon a mighty t soul, the Divine Being, the Son 
of God, may be erected. 

It is impossible to know peace, joy, happiness, and con- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 97 

tentment in the world to come unless 'one lays the founda- 
tion for it here and now. In order to find its completeness 
in the next state of existence, one must find it;s beginning 
here and now. To honor Nature and Nature's Voice in 
the human breast, is as important as to honor Nature's 
God. 



98 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 



CHAPTER TEN 

To the weak, a doctrine of weakness seems natural 

Man can understand only those things which he him- 
self is capable of doing. The things that others do, which 
he cannot do, are to him a closed book. When one who 
has reached old age sees others perform feats that require 
great strength and close application of body and mind, he 
wonders how it can be done. He even looks back upon his 
own earlier achievements and marvels at the thought of 
having performed them. 

For this reason — that man cannot comprehend any- 
thing of which he himself is incapable of experiencing — 
wisdom cannot be taught man through a mere external pro- 
cess of acquirement. Man must grow into the condition 
or the state that makes wisdom possible. Wisdom is the 
result of ripened experience. He who solves a problem, 
passing carefully through every step of its solution, un- 
derstands how it is done. He who has benefitted by va- 
rious experiences in life and has laid up a fund of valu- 
able information understands how wisdom comes. He un- 
derstands how to estimate the price of wisdom. The igno- 
rant and the inexperienced understand neither the price 
nor the value of wisdom. 

Similarly, only the strong understand the possibility of 
strength. To the weak, strength is a mystery. Only he 
who forgives, can comprehend the marvels of a forgiving 
spirit. He who forgives not, cannot comprehend that it is 
possible for God to be a forgiving Being. He who loves 
not, cannot comprehend that it is possible for God to be a 
Being of Love, To the impotent, virile manhood seems 



100 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

unnatural, even something to be feared, or avoided, even 
condemned. He who doejs not possess strength beholds 
strength as an object of pity. The weak, whether their 
weakness is moral or physical, consider their state prefer- 
able to that of strength. They mistake weakness for hu- 
mility, and count it a God-sanctioned virtue. 

A glance at the sporty sanctioned and encouraged by 
a nation indicates much concerning the character of that 
nation. If the national sports are calculated to develop 
strength and valor, courage and prowess, physical perfec- 
tion is reflected in the character of the people. This is the 
case among peoples that cherish the ideal of virility and 
activity, force and power. Among people^ with whom 
the doctrine of quietism holds sway, the favorite sports 
are of the feminine type, requiring little exertion. Their 
habits tend toward asceticism. Their games and pastimes 
call for meager outlay of strength and skill. Again, peoples 
who incline toward asceticism are ever ready to condemn 
the manly sports of those nations which honor physical 
strength and endurance. A race that has lost its strength 
and virility is sure to adopt a philosophy or a creed that 
has it,s foundation in human weakness. In its inert, ef- 
feminate state, it is sure to be attracted by a doctrine that 
denies the good and the manly, a doctrine that condemns 
earthly joy, peace, happiness, and earthly possessions. 

Physical weakness and a negative creed go hand in 
hand. Physical strength and powerful 1 mentality and 
wholesome morality go hand in hand with a constructive, 
positive philosophy or religion. In the Northland, where 
existence itself demands remarkable physical endurance, the 
Viking religion has flourished. In the Viking religion, 
there i t s no such thing as fear. The coward is placed lower 
in the scale of being than is the cur on the street, and 
has little more chance of living. In the East, continually 
warmed by the rays of the sun, where shelter and cloth- 



THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 101 

ing are items of small consequence, where little food is re- 
quired — and that such as nature providers — where there is 
no necessity for the display of strength and valor, where 
self-exertion is not necessary in order to meet the needs of 
existence, we find a nation whose religion and philosophy 
correspond to the character of the people. No wonder that, 
iij the warm clime of the Orient, a philosophy flourishes 
that makes inertness its chief glory. No wonder that con- 
structive thought, desire for better things, useful labor, 
manly pastimes, are wanting. No wonder that we find 
here a race whose religiou 4 s belief and philosophy are held 
sacred because of the very fact that no self-exertion, no 
manhood, no effort whatever, are required to live them. 

That in life which requires no effort to live, no self- 
exertion, no self-dependence and self-reliance, will give no 
strength. In fact, it will result in additional weakness. In 
spite of this fact, aye, po,ssibly for this very reason, a 
philosophy of ease, inactivity, and passivity is readily ac- 
cepted by the multitudes. Their own indifference and 
fondness of ease make them an easy prey to a doctrine 
tli at honors meek, unquestioning acceptance of ,50-called 
authoritative dogma. Nor do they comprehend that weak- 
ness ijS being added to weakness. That which requires 
little effort is attractive to the average man; for the aver- 
age man loves idleness and listles t sness more than strength 
and activity. Implicit acceptance of ideas worked out by 
others has a seductive charm for him who is too indolent 
to think for himself. 

From these considerations, it can readily be ,seen why 
the New Commandment is being brought forcibly before 
the public mind. There is a reason for it. There is need 
of it. 

"Be a Man, and thou mayst become a god." 

The doctrine of Manhood and ultimate Godhood re- 
quires effort on the part of him who accepts it. Effort is 



102 THE WAY TO GODHOOB 

required in the accomplishment of worthy objects in life. 
Effort and self-a,ssertiveness, exertion and self-reliance and 
self-mastery must supplant every form of weak passivity 
and inertness. The New Commandment sanctions effort, 
and an active, whole-souled participation in all things that 
claim one's attention. In it^s sports, in its enjoyments, in 
its possessions, in its pleasures, in its achievements, in its 
daily labor and routine tas^s, the New Commandment 
honors vim, courage, and an active, whole-hearted coopera- 
tion with others. With every effort will come a correspond- 
ing degree of power. Every effort accumulates added 
strength with which to put forth added effort. Through 
constant accumulation and enjoyment of power man be- 
comes super-man. And, in the very joy of living, he is 
repaid an hundred fold for every effort made. 

The man without powef, without possessions, is a 
non-influential man. This is an observation that cannot 
be contradicted. It is indeed a fundamental law. Take 
for example the man that lives a passive life, though free 
from evil. He begins the day with thoughts free from 
censure and injury to others. He gives his time during 
the day to the work at hand, such amount as is necessary. 
He makes no active effort to accomplish any great thing, 
nor to gain possession of more than he actually needs, 
though more is hi,s due. He may be good and noble at 
heart, but, through indifference to larger interests, he fails 
to gain influence among men. So far as it goes, the life 
of such a man is not to be condemned. But let a question 
of grave importance arise in his neighborhood, a question 
that involves the good of vast numbers; and, when it 
comes to exercising influence in regard to settling the 
question, it is found that this man cannot turn a single 
vote in favor of the right. His life has been comparative- 
ly upright and harmless, but not powerful for good among 
men. Then, again, he who lives an upright, harmless life 



THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 103 

among others, but does not avail himself of the opportu- 
nity to accumulate gain, is not in a position to help an un- 
fortunate brother in time of need or help on a worthy- 
cause, which may be struggling to attain a place of greater 
usefulness among men. Surely, it is a laudable ambition 
to desire power, influence, and earthly possessions for the 
sake of the good one may do therewith in worthy enter- 
prises. 

Negative goodness is a weakness, though possibly not 
so great a weakness as negativeness without goodness. The 
one who lives a life not altogether free from evil may be 
the means of doing greater good to a greater number of 
people than the one who lives a negatively good life. This, 
for the reason that he who has gained power and influence, 
though his life may not be absolutely above reproach, is in 
a position to use his power and his influence for good in 
such a way as to set into motion that which will bring great 
good to a great number. 

Weakness is of many types. The righteous man may 
be as guilty of weakness as is the unrighteous man. 
Though he may be living a blameless life so far as stand- 
ards of moral conduct are concerned, yet, by not making 
use of his inherent potential powers, he is not ready to 
use power at a time when power is needed. In this case, 
he is held accountable for the inability to do that which he 
should have been able to do. He is guilty of non-develop- 
ment and non-use of potential power. We are indeed held 
responsible for the inherent powers with which we are en- 
dowed. Neglect in the cultivation and the use of talents 
entrusted to us is indeed a grievous weakness. Indifference 
to the opportunities presented to us for helping a noble and 
worthy cause which demands an enormous outlay of money 
in order to spread its blessings among vast numbers — this, 
too, is a weakness. Indeed, passivity, negativeness, and 
indifference in any form are to be classed as weakness. 



104 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Through a strange fallacy of appearances, the life a* 
man lives gives color to his beliefs, and causes any other; 
type of life to seem abnormal, unnatural, and undesirable. 
To the weak, a doctrine of weakness seems perfectly nat- 
ural. Consequently, the mind must be set free from its 
self-thought and its self-content and its narrow-minded- 
nes,s before it is ready to accept a doctrine that exalts 
strength, helpfulness to others, and a courageous, manly 
spirit. Strange though it may seem, to the man who, 
through a certain course of living, has become a weakling, 
the outlook of life has completely changed ; and that which 
to the normal, healthy mind is right and proper, as, for in- 
stance, deed,s of valor and of honor, to the weakling are 
something to be condemned. 

Thu,s it is that, to the weakling, life itself is a delu- 
sion and a snare, something to become free from as soon as 
possible. Those things, then, which tend to weaken the 
hold of the earthly life upon us are to be welcomed. To 
him who has become enamoured by negative doctrines, the 
greatest delusion is the belief that weakness and sickliness 
of body will result in greatness of soul, and will give man 
a "Carte Blanche" to the heaven of bliss. 

A line of demarkation must be drawn in respect to 
weakness that cannot be helped and weakness that can be 
helped. For instance, it is often the case that the person 
born a cripple or blind or bereft of other of the natural 
senses becomes a woman or a man of power, of honor, of 
clear-sightedness, of superior ability in some particular di- 
rection, and even a mighty leader among men. It is to 
be noted, however, that these do not worship weakness in 
any form. Nor do they attain greatness because of their 
handicapped condition, b ( ut in spite of it. They understand 
full well that weakness is undesirable. Consequently, they 
set about to bring into play every atom of power in their 
natures in order to rise above their limitation. Even in 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 105 

their present state, they become giants. Yet who can say 
how much more they might have accomplished with all 
their powers, had they u\sed the same amount of persever- 
ance. Of these, too much cannot be said in praise; for, 
handicapped apparently from birth, they have, neverthe- 
less, accomplished wonders and arisen almost to the state 
of super-men. 

Any chiding that the New Commandment may have, is 
for those who are favorably born and favorably condition- 
ed, but who, through inertness and an effortless existence, 
have lapsed into weakness and indifference. Chiding is 
for those, who, not satisfied with a life of physical, men- 
tal, and spiritual impotence, even teach a doctrine of im- 
potence and find a ready market for their teachings. The 
New Commandment aims not at the easiest doctrine, but 
at the best. A doctrine of ease and inactivity may at first 
seem easy and attractive; but, in the end, it proves to be 
the galling yoke of bondage. The doctrine of manhood, 
effort, exertion, and sel'f-assertiveness in ways of useful- 
ness, at first ( seems hard; but, in the end, it proves to be 
the blessedness of Godhood and Supermanhood. 

E&rth is not a land of sorrow unless we allow it to 
become such through our own weakness and imbecility. 
Earth may be a garden of delight, a garden wherein grow 
all beautiful flowers and all precious herbs, wherein may be 
found peace, happiness, and joy. True, there are times 
when into the garden of life will creep things that are un- 
desirable. But the master mind soon frees itself from 
these conditions. To such a mind, l'osse,s and misfortunes 
are only stepping stones to greater power. The final part- 
ing with friends is only an indication of change to better 
conditions for that friend, and is not something to mourn 
over; for the two will meet again and will be the happier 
and the wiser for the temporary parting and the new meet- 
ing. 



106 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Watch the movements of the healthy boy of ten. Is 
there anything in his nature or his conduct to indicate 
that life is undesirable? Does anything in his manner and 
ways suggest the desirability of becoming free from earth- 
ly existence? .Watch him in his play. Is there a thought 
of sorrow ? Doe,s the dark side of life cast a shadow over 
his spontaneity? To him, the mere thought of living is a 
joy. In the romp and frolic, there is joy. The simple 
tasks assigned him by a fond parent, the study outlined 
by a wise teacher, he hastens to finish, in his eagerness to 
return to the play that awaits him. Who would be so 
cruel as to throw the shadow of doubt and gloom over the 
spontaneity of childhood? 

True, at times, a discordant note creeps in, as, for in- 
stance when there is punishment for disobedience or when 
he meets with one of greater strength who defeats his 
plans. But not for a moment does he "drop down and out," 
and think of life as something to be free from. Not in 
the least, he soon forgets and begins to enjoy some new 
adventure. 

As with the boy, so with the healthy man. Life is 
both a playground and a school. There are hours for play, 
and these are to be fully enjoyed and impro\ ed. There is 
time for labor, and for strenuous effort. This he accepts 
with right good-will. This he welcomes as a test of ca- 
pability, a test of strength. In time, he comes to regard the 
graver duties and heavier tasks as feat^s on the playground 
cf life — feats of skill and dexterity, feats of valor and 
honor. Severe trials and crises which confront him, de- 
lays in his cherished plans, obstructions in the way and 
temporary annoyances — these, to the master mind, become 
gymnastic feats, which impel consecutive thought and con- 
siructive self-training. There is joy in surmounting ob- 
stacles, joy in overcoming difficulties — a joy superior to 
the joy of him who wins in a race. The more difficult and 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 107 

stupendous is an undertaking, the greater is the pleasure 
of accomplishment. These thoughts are goads, which stim- 
ulate effort and exertion, courage and incessant toil, in him 
who choo t ses manhood as the standard of life. Say what 
we will, there is no such thing as fail in life for us unless 
we admit that we cannot succeed. Failure is for the weak 
and the fearful. He who fears to try is already a failure. 

At the root of all weakness is either ignorance of 
the laws of life or disobedience to them. It matters not 
what it is, the result is always the same and is to be 
discouraged. This is true of individuals and of nations. 
The parent or the nation that encourages youth in that 
type of sport,s and games which tests strength, courage, 
valor, and skill, will produce men of power. Their power 
comes neither through war nor through shrewdness, but 
through fitness to rule, through keenness of mind, through 
strength and endurance of body, and through proficiency 
in all affairs that concern the public weal. 

In order to overcome moral weakness and its near- 
est of kin, an abnormal idea of life, it is necessary to 
gain physical health and vigor. This is necessary to a 
normal view of life, life both on this plane of existence 
and on the plane succeeding this. Free the system of dis- 
ease and physical weakness and abnormalities, and you 
free the mind of ignoble, diseased, negative thought. 
Ihrough right living and proper recreation, give the body 
health and strength, and you fill the mind with noble and 
worthy desires, noble and healthy instincts. This ,soon 
leads to the desire to be up and doing, the desire to ac- 
complish, to achieve and to be. Eventually, such stand- 
ards of life and thought create men who are more than 
mere men, even super-men. 

The body that is diseased and distorted and disordered 
cannot have healthy imaginations. As is the imagination, 
bo will be the philosophy or the standard of life. As a man 



108 THE WAY, TO GODHOOD 

is, so he thinketh. This is worthy of becoming a truism, 
equal, if not superior, to the paying of wisdom, "As a man 
thinketh, so is he." 

The New Commandment is pronounced in its empha- 
sis upon manhood, activity, naturalness, spontaneity, and 
the joy of existence. Those who promulgate the doctrine 
ot manhood as the only pathway to Godhood see reasons 
for emphasizing a constructive, active, optimistic philoso- 
phy. They see reasons in abundance for sounding the 
alarm in regard to the subtle inroads of a negative, inert 
philosophy of life. For passivity and idleness, for ease 
and lethargy, they would substitute the standard of toil, 
usefulness, effort, self-exertion. For belief in the doctrine 
or no-desire, they would substitute the blessedness of one 
supreme desire, as an active force among lesser desires, 
which are subservient to the one t supreme desire of one's 
life. In the place of the belief that natural instincts are 
harmful and therefore to be shunned, they would plant the 
idea that natural gratification of natural instincts is Na- 
ture's method of accumulating power which may be em- 
ployed in self-betterment and betterment of the race. They 
would root out of the garden of life the poisonous belief 
that earthly joy and earthly possessions prevent heavenly 
joy and heavenly possessions. In its place, they would 
plant the ideal that earthly joy and earthly possessions, 
rightly used, are natural means, in a natural world, of 
gaining imperishable joys and imperishable treasures in a 
heavenly world. 

Philosophy based on the New Commandment honors 
toil and work, planning and execution of ideas. It honors 
him who accumulates earthly possessions through legiti- 
mate means, not at the expense or injury of others, but 
through his own honest efforts and efficient service. Re- 
ligion based on the New Commandment throbs with life 
and power in the estimate it places on the value of a hu- 
man ,soul. It leads to development of soul and fills the soul 
with Divine Fire. It brings peace and contentment in the 
thought that, here and now, begins the life of Light and 
Love, so that that which is called death becomes merely 
the change of planes from the present life to future joy 
in a world of Light and Love. 



CHAPTER ELEVEN 

Total depravity comes only through living a depraved life. 

A philosophy based on the New Commandment does 
not sanction the doctrine that man is born in sin or that, 
at birth, he is a totally depraved creature. That man is 
born with sin in his nature, is accepted as true, by those 
who believe in the Law of Reincarnation. The doctrine 
of reincarnation is the only doctrine that attributes jus- 
tice to both God and Man. Any other disposition makes 
of God a being of injustice. The principle of reincarna- 
tion, however, is very different from the doctrine of total 
depravity at birth. 

The teaching that man is born in sin and through sin, 
comes from the Orient. But, in the process of being trans- 
planted from eastern to western ^soil, it has been woefully 
distorted and perverted, and has utterly lost its significance 
as originally understood by sages of the rising jsun. 

According to the Eastern doctrine of reincarnation, 
the man who has lived on the earth, but has not fulfilled 
his destiny in freeing himself from evil and in bringing 
the Divine Spark, the soul, into full Illumination and Con- 
scious Oneness with God, passing out in this imperfect 
condition, is given the opportunity to return to the earth 
again and again. Indeed, if he is earnestly striving to ac- 
complish that for which the earth plane is designed, he is 
given the opportunity repeatedly, until he succeeds in free- 
ing the soul from imperfections and in bringing it to a 
state of Divine Consciousness and Individuality. This is a 
doctrine of justice and of divine consideration for the wel- 
fare of man, each individual being placed on his own mer- 



110 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

its and treated accordingly. Whereas, the doctrine of total 
depravity makes all men wicked and depraved in nature to 
begin with, and offers them only the one lifetime for re- 
deeming themselves from their wicked estate. Moreover, 
according to the doctrine of total depravity, this one-life 
opportunity necessitates that they must suffer eternal con- 
demnation. From beginning to end, the doctrine of de- 
pravity is based on injustice and heartless compulsion. It 
is a libel on everything that is holy and divine and noble 
in man's nature. 

According to the principle of reincarnation, when a 
child is born, he i,s either the covering of a new soul, 
or is necessarily a soul that has returned, and, for that very 
reason, is born with sin and imperfection in his nature, 
which must be overcome. Had he no sin and no imper- 
fections, that is, were he perfect, he would not be return- 
ing to the earth. Only under very rare condition^, does 
a soul that has attained perfection return to the earth. 
Thus, generally speaking, the soul that returns to the earth 
is born with sin. This is a very different matter, however, 
from saying that it is born in sin. There is no t sin in giv- 
ing birth to the human race. It was the express command 
of God that woman should be fruitful, and it is the divine 
decree and wish that souls should be born on the earth; 
therefore, the fact of giving birth to sou^s on earth can- 
not, in itself, be accounted as sin. The Law of Reincarna- 
tion has been misquoted and misinterpreted ; and the teach- 
ing that man is born in sin and it utterly depraved in na- 
ture has no foundation whatever. 

Twin to the doctrine that man is born in sin is the 
perver,se teaching that some are born utterly depraved. 
Nothing can be farther from the truth. If man so lives 
during a given earth life as totally to destroy the individ- 
uality, when he dies there is no opportunity given for him 
jtp return to the earth plane, The body, the physical be* 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 111 

ing, returns to the earth elements whence it came. The 
Divine Spark, not awakened, but covered over with the 
rubbish of a perverted, depraved life, did not receive the 
stamp of individuality. Consequently, it returns to the 
storehouse of Him who gave it, possibly to be sent out 
again on its pilgrimage. 

There is no question that total depravity is possible. 
It results, however, from a certain type of living on the 
earth plane. There is neither indication nor proof that 
man was born in a depraved state. Unnatural living is 
the cau,se of total depravity. Conscious, wilful, deliberate 
violation of the laws of nature and of God leads to total 
depravity. Ignorance of the truth, false beliefs, erroneous 
standards of life, are the beginnings of a destructive, nega- 
tive career. These, in time, lead to deliberate or to un- 
conscious violation of the Divine and Natural Law. Yet 
even this results in total' depravity only as man gradually 
kills out all that is good in his nature. Whether viola- 
tion of Divine Law is conscious or unconscious, the results 
are the same. If any difference, unconscious is more subtle 
and more insidious. It makes its inroads upon the nature 
more treacherously, blinds the eyes to the truth, dulls and 
blunts the senses; and, most serious of all, it so perverts 
one's vision of life as to make error seem truth, vice seem 
virtue. 

In the creation of man, it was the divine intention that 
he should accomplish certain things in life. Nor was he 
left absolutely helpless in regard to determining what he 
should accomplish and how he should accomplish. He was 
endowed with an indicator by means of which he might 
know what and how. This indicator is in the form of 
natural desire. Natural desires and instincts are the indi- 
cators divinely given man for the purpose of guiding him 
and of giving him the inclination to do and to become. 
5 hey indicate \vhaj; a man has power to do and to become. 



112 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

7 hey show in what direction his power and his possibilities 
lie, They not only indicate possibilities, but they even be- 
come, through normal exercise, the accumulators of power. 
They are more than indicators and directors and guides. 
Even the means by which power is generated and accumu- 
lated are they. If man fails to heed the natural prompt- 
ings given to him as indicators, he fails to develop the 
powers with which he i,s endowed. In this way he fails 
to fulfil his destiny. In this way, either his powers lie 
dormant or they break out as vices and destructive ten- 
dencies in other directions. If a man follows and heeds 
the natural promptings given him as directors and indica- 
tors, he thereby develops and stores up power which may 
be employed in useful avenues. The highest use for the 
power thus developed is in awakening his own soul to ac- 
tivity through a life of usefulness to others. Through 
keeping his powers in proper channels, he not only re- 
deems his own soul of its imperfections, but, by the ex- 
ample and the inspiration of his life, he exercises a re- 
deeming influence over other ( s. 

But, sad to say, in numberless cases, the child born 
with good health, a good constitution, strong desires and 
great capabilities, is taught a false doctrine from the very 
beginning of life. He is forced to repress and to suppress 
natural instincts. His spontaneity is checked. Things not 
wrong in themselves, but contrary to the ideas of those who 
have the child in control, are constantly forbidden. The 
repression of innocent desires and incentives converts them 
into a poison to the brain and the storehouse of powers 
within. The result is that harmless, natural instincts, 
through suppression, are turned into secret vices which 
grow and accumulate as time goe,s on. Instead of the child's 
being taught what to do and how to do, he is taught noth- 
ing at all except that this and the other he mt^st not do. 
Every repression adds more fuel to the fire. Herein is the 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 113 

beginning of hiding desires and promptings under the false 
impression that they must be wrong for the very reason 
that he feels inclined to gratify them. Th^s is the incep- 
tion of total depravity. 

The child, in truth, is born with sin, though not neces- 
sarily in sin. It is the duty of progenitors to keep a guard 
over the instincts and desires of childhood. But a thing 
of greater importance is that progenitors t shall be able 
themselves to distinguish between constructive and de- 
structive desires and instincts. So long, however, as men 
believe that natural instincts are evil, that the desire for joy 
and happiness is evil, that earthly possessions are a pass- 
port to condemnation, and that life itself is undesirable, 
the child i,s almost sure to reap gloom and doom, unless its 
nature is so strong and healthy that it cannot be perverted. 
It is often the case that the child is healthy enough to 
rise above environmental conditions, and, in young man- 
hood or womanhood, is able to redeem that part of its na- 
ture which was perverted in childhood. 

In the majority of instances, depravity in a child is 
to be traced directly to the parent. Usually, the parents 
have held to a false religious or philosophical belief or else 
tiiey have paid no attention whatever to the child except 
to tell it to stop doing this or that, without supplying some- 
thing to take the place of that which the child had been 
doing. Nothing is more important than that the child shall 
be kept busy. Depraved men and women result from igno- 
rance of the Law that, in order to keep the child or the 
youth or the mature man and woman from doing wrong, 
we must keep him busy and fully occupied in doing the 
right. To make the child ,stop doing wrong is far from 
sufficient. It is of paramount importance, to supply it 
with something to do in the place of the wrong. It is wiser 
if possible to remove the cause of its wrong doing, without 
arousing questioning and suspicion on the part of the child. 



114 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

In the place of the undesirable, give it something equally 
charming, equally desirable. To force a child to stop is 
to repress an inclination in the child. This repression acts 
as an incentive to something else. And the child soon 
learns to indulge ,secretly in the things that have been for- 
bidden. In this is the beginning of wrong, the begin- 
ning of faults, which gradually develop into vices, and these 
into still greater vices. 

There are two urges in human nature. These are es- 
pecially strong in the child up to the age of responsibility. 
The urge of the Divine impels the child to do that which 
is right, that which is normal and healthy. There is also 
another urge which is prompted by the carnal life and the 
carnal desires. But, in the child up to the age of respon- 
sibility, the carnal nature is less pronounced than the divine 
nature. And the wise parent will see that the child ha,s 
every opportunity to follow these inclinations which are 
normal and healthy and natural. Every child has these 
inclinations and these desires; and they will develop natur- 
ally unless repressed by the parent or tho ( se who fill a par- 
ent's place. 

In the young, purity and naturalness are innate. These 
qualities are a part of the child-nature. Real depravity 
cannot begin in the child until the age of responsibility. 
True it is, that the seeds of depravity are sown and the 
conditions of error are created before this time; but the 
actual wrong, the actual evil, begins with the age of ac- 
countability. There is no such thing as natural depravity. 
At all times, in all ages, and in all climes, depravity is un- 
natural. In every human being, there are two natures, two 
inclination^. These are present even in the youngest child. 
But, in the very young child, it is the angelic side, the nat- 
ural and the normal instinct, that rules the life. And, if 
the parent is wise, it is these inclinations and desires which 
will be cultivated. Gratification of these will bring into be- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 115 

ing other natural and normal desires ; and, as these are sat- 
isfied rather than repressed, still other desires come to take 
their place, until, at last, the youth is ready for the age 
of responsibility. Under this type of development, there 
is little danger of hi,s following the path of depravity, 
though, to be sure, it is possible, owing to later associa- 
tions and environments. 

There is one safe means of preventing a depraved or 
iii-chosen life: that is, for mankind to lay hold of a relig- 
ion or a philosophy that is natural, normal, and divine. A 
safe doctrine teaches individual responsibility. It exalts 
selfhood and manhood. It spurns the doctrine that man 
is a worm of the dust, a depraved creature, a spawn of 
the earth. On the other hand, a safe doctrine guards 
against that type of bigotry and narrow-mindedne ( ss which 
prevents growth and self-betterment. A disagreeable self- 
satisfaction and self-glory have no place in the doctrine of 
individual responsibility. One may realize that we are 
placed on the earth for a purpose, with a grave respon- 
sibility, a mighty mission to perform, even with inherent 
deific powers at our disposal for development and use; yet 
this realization should be the means of stimulating effort 
and honest endeavor. There is no excuse for him who 
has a true philqsophy of life to "rest on the oars" of ease 
and self-content. The doctrine of life that keeps one in 
the safe path of manhood and selfhood emphasizes the de- 
sirability of living. According to such a philosophy, it is 
cur privilege, aye, even our duty, to seek happiness, to 
peek the joys of life; and to seek earthly possessions, as a 
means of attaining higher interests, is also seen to be a 
worthy aim. Instead of being wrong, it is highly desirable 
to seek the joys of natural living. Not a diseased body and 
a dwarfed soul, but a healthy body and an illumined soul, 
in short, Sonship with the Father, is the ultimate end of 
a safe and sane philosophy of life, 



116 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

An understanding of the mighty commandment, "Be 
a Man, and thou mayst be a god," reveals our responsibility 
to childhood. We will encourage in the child those things 
which make for health and strength and true pleasure. We 
will discourage only those things which tend to make it 
weaker, or might result in injury, either physical, mental, 
or spiritual. That which injures one department of its 
threefold nature will 1 affect harmfully the other depart- 
ments. This kind of care will do much toward bringing 
perfection and salvation in later life. 

The purpose in life may be summed up in one word — 
Transmutation, the changing of one thing for another. 
Man comers to earth and takes on a body through which 
to manifest. In the beginning, the body is highly material, 
and contains all the desires of the material. This material 
foundation is, in reality, the very thing that gives the pos- 
sibility of experiencing joy, happiness, and peace. All the 
sense,s have a physical base. The ideal placed before man, 
however, is to lift his desires from the plane of the mate- 
rial to the plane of the spiritual. This is a process of trans. 
mutation, or change from the lower to the higher. 

The duty of man on earth is to find those pleasures, 
those desires and actions, which will lift him from bondage 
to the material and the carnal, and will establish in his 
character love for that which is constructive and eternal 
in its nature. Any pleasure to the physical being that 
give,s health and strength and is free from injurious ef- 
fects upon mind and heart, is desirable and praiseworthy. 
Through the fact of strengthening the physical being, it 
also strengthens mind and soul. 

That physical delights may have a beneficial effect on 
mind and soul is easily illustrated. Take for example the 
game of baseball. To him who enjoys the game, to him 
who holds an exalted standard of correct and fair playing, 
to him who has no inclination to indulge in unfair means, 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 117 

the game is stimulating to mind and soul, as well as body. 
There is nothing about the ( sport that is brutal or harmful 
or degrading to the sensibilities. But it is equally true that 
physical delights may be deleterious to mind and soul. 
Take, for instance, the pastime enjoyed in some countries, 
the bull fight. This i,s a sport that gives health and 
strength to the body. It is in fact a great developer of 
the physical being. But it is a degrading pastime, in that 
ic stimulates love for blood and brutality. Its effects are 
destructive to both mind and soul. It is detrimental to 
the finer nature of man. 

All things in life naturally fall into one of these two 
classes. The wise parent will' substitute the good and the 
healthful and constructive pastimes for the bad, harmful, 
and destructive. This leads the child gradually to love 
only the good and the constructive. 

Nature recognizes no such thing as total depravity. 
That which is depraved becomes so through its own choos- 
ing and through its own living. Depravity is the result 
of ignorance and of erroneous religious and philosophical 
teachings. 



118 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 



CHAPTER TWELVE 

Health is necessary to the highest degree of manhood and 
of manliness. 

Health and manliness form the basis of the laws of 
Moses. Throughout the Hebraic Scriptures, the necessity 
of obedience to the laws of health is clearly indicated. 
Companion to the law,s of health is to be found the en- 
couragement given to deeds of valor and of strength. 
Health and valorous deeds form the basis of morality. 

Obedience to the laws of health in respect to all items 
that concern positive strength and freedom from disease 
is the foundation on which the New Commandment is 
based. For, without a reasonable degree of health and 
strength, the highest form of manhood and manliness is 
impossible. 

Good health means a clear brain, the power to think 
clearly, concentratedly, and consecutively. Good health 
means normal, natural instincts. Who has ever known of 
a morbid mind in a strong vigorous body? -Good health 
means wholesome, optimistic imaginations, and noble, lofty, 
worthy . plans and ideal,s. It means stimulus to activity 
and constructive, creative work. It means vim, enterprise, 
and interest in things that concern the general good. But, 
where there is disease of body, where there is pain and 
disorder, thoughts and desires, and imaginations become 
unnatural and discordant; and unhealthy, morbid mental 
states affect the character, the heart and the soul. 

The laws of Moses are the result of wisdom gained 
through varied experience. They are accordingly con- 



120 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

elusive and reliable. In giving to mankind hi,s counsel 
concerning health and sanitation, Moses had to deal with 
a class of men who lived much in the open air, amid con- 
ditions of freedom for the entire body. But he had prev- 
iously become familiar with city life, where conditions at 
best are unnatural, where there is congestion, imperfect 
sanitation, and other iter^s that tend to impair health. It 
was, therefore, long and varied experience that qualified 
Moses to impart wise counsel to his people. So wise, in- 
deed, are his laws regarding health and freedom from dis- 
ease and weakness that they are considered the basis of 
the best sanitary laws known to man today. The fact that 
a leader of men like Moses considered the body and its 
well-being of such vast importance, ought to be to us a 
strong argument in favor of careful observance of the 
laws of health. 

Health is the foundation of all that is good and de- 
sirable. Indeed, impossible of successful contradiction is 
the assertion that there cannot be a high degree of peace, 
joy, and happiness in a body that is disease-racked and 
full of pain. Such a condition cannot help making the 
mind dwell on unwholesome subjects. Morbid thoughts 
soon result in morbid actions. Power and influence 
among others wane in proportion to the lassitude and the 
lethargy of the physical. On the other hand, the body that 
is full of health and strength generates a mighty force or 
power, called magnetism. Magnetism is simply good 
health radiating from the center of life. In the normal 
physical being, the center of life is so full of vital energy 
that it cannot contain within itself all the vitality generat- 
ed. This surplus of life principle i,s in a state of constant 
radiation, a condition that makes the individual magnetic 
and attractive to others. Such an individual becomes a 
powerful influence. He is ever alert, animated, and full 
of interest in the affairs of life. His thoughts and imag- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 121 

inations are full of good cheer and hope. This very men- 
tal ,state attracts to him the desirable things of life. 

Life in the country, amid natural conditions, is the 
ideal. The city is a center of activity, a center of ad- 
vantages in many ways. It is a fact, nevertheless, that 
constant living in the city makes the highest efficiency im- 
possible. Th^s is due to many reasons. The fact of its 
being of activity keeps it more or less in a state of con- 
gestion. There is no such thing as perfect quiet. Both 
day and night, almost constantly, is heard the hum of in- 
dustry and the noise of confusion. The highest degree of 
strength and power demands peace and quietness during 
sleep. It is during sleep that absorption of strength takes 
place. If sleep is disturbed, absorption is interfered with; 
and man does not accumulate the strength that he might 
under other conditions. It is very true that man may come 
to the point where noises apparently do not affect him. 
lie may retire to rest at night apparently oblivious to 
all external conditions of confusion. The subconscious 
mind, nevertheless, registers the impression; and rest is 
not perfect. Consequently, the absorption of strength is 
below normal. 

Other reasons than the state of congestion and con- 
stant confusion make city life less conducive to the high- 
est degree of physical and mental efficiency. In a thickly 
populated city, the atmosphere is more or less tainted with 
poisonous gases and vapors. It is a law of nature that 
the exhalations of human life are inhaled by plant life, 
and the exhalations of the plant kingdom are inhaled by 
the human kingdom. Thi^s, in the country, there is a mu- 
tual exchange between the human and the vegetable worlds 
of a most wholesome kind. The air is kept purified, and 
full of vitality and strength; and, above all, it is permeat- 
ed with nature herself. In the city, where there is a scarc- 
ity of trees, flowers, shrubs, grains, where there is noth- 



122 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

ing but man and the manufacturing and mechantile in- 
terests of man and the effluvia therefrom, there is noth- 
ing to purify the atmosphere. Be the conditions ever so 
fair, there is still meager opportunity for perfect cleans- 
ing of the air. 

Again, according to the testimony of statistics, the 
disease ratio and the death ratio are greater in the city 
than in the country. This is due to the constant mixing of 
the personal magnetism of the thousands or the millions, 
as the case may be. The intimate and uninterrupted con- 
fusion of personalities also accounts for the large percent- 
age of crime and immorality found in congested sections 
of cities. Many of the habits that hold sway in the city 
do not nourish in the country. As, for example, the opium 
habit nourishes in the city. Whereas, it is seldom that 
one finds an opium fiend in the country. The air, impreg- 
nated with the life of the vegetable kingdom, makes it 
almost impossible for one to be unnatural to the extent 
necessary to become a slave to this drug. If, perchance, 
one doe,s become addicted to this habit, he does not long 
remain in the country, but goes to the city where he finds 
associations of his own status in life. 

Once more, living in the country with nature and 
working with nature develops individuality in men and 
women. They come to think the thoughts of nature. 
Through constant association with Mother Nature, they 
come to think along harmonious lines. The effect of rural 
environment is seen in the case of a business man who 
seeks the country for a rest and a change. He soon be- 
comes impregnated with the desire and the fervor of na- 
ture. The languor and the restraint of conventionality 
jsoon give place to the consciousness of vitality and of new 
interest in life. The rod and the line tempt him to the 
,favorite pastime of the farmer boy. The luscious fruits, 
L the fields of waving grain, the voices of the night, the balmy, 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 123 

invigorating air, become a delight and a charm unequalled 
ty the artificial glamor of city walls and streets. Nor does 
it end with mere delight. He is attracted in due time 
even by the thought of labor itself. The hoe in the hand 
give,s more pleasure than the cigar in the mouth formerly 
afforded. Ere he is aware, Nature has wrought a trans- 
formation in him. The process of passing from one state 
to another has been so gradual and so natural that he 
scarcely knows how it ha^s come about. He bears the 
stamp of individuality and dares to be a man as nature 
intended him to be. 

On the other hand, note the change wrought in the 
man who is transplanted to the city. He may be free from 
conspicuous vice and evil, yet he soon takes on the habits 
of his new associates. The cigar, the liquor, the language, 
the characteristic gait, gradually, the restlessness, of the 
city become his acquisitions. Life in the city being un- 
natural, his thoughts and mental state soon become taint- 
ed. Congestion, no matter where found, whether in the 
city or in the individual himself, is unnatural; and, con- 
sequently, in every instance, it breeds disease. 

Nature is an equalizer. Nature levels things. In the 
country, nature makes men strong in their normal desires, 
in their enjoyment of work, and in their fondness of 
pleasure. To be sure, there are exceptions in all things. 
There may be Chri^ts in the city, just as there may be 
degenerates in the country. The degenerate, however, 
lives in the country for no great length of time. Degen- 
eracy and aloneness do not go together. Vices segregate. 
There is seldom to be found an immoral or degenerate be- 
ing living alone. The simplicity and the solitude of coun- 
try life is attractive to the good man, the man full of 
manhood and strength. He naturally avoids congested 
districts and congested conditions. He recognizes the need 
of space for breathing and living. In all things, there is 



124 ,THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

its appropriate compensation. Nature apportions and dis- 
tributes wisely. The city affords such advantages as 
wealth and numbers can give. The country affords such 
benefits as result from simplicity and natural environments. 
All things in nature seek their level. The weak, the 
degenerate, the abnormal, the immoral, cannot live alone. 
Being unnatural, and having no strength within them- 
selves, nothing to support them, they seek others of like 
nature. There is a law of gravitation that rules even men. 
The weak are not content to be by themselves for any 
great length of time. They must have companionship. 
Their companionship is ever with those of like nature. 
They must lean upon others; and they choose those upon 
whom to lean who are similar in thought and nature to 
themselves. With the healthy and ( strong man it is differ- 
ent. There is within him a strength, a manhood, that is 
sufficient in itself to keep him contented. And, even when 
he feels the necessity of support, he leans upon nature, and 
upon nature's provisions, and there finds joy, peace, con- 
tentment, and happiness. Further proof of the fact that 
all things seek their level is seen in the inclination of 
those who are past their prime to seek city life. The 
man who is no longer in full strength, no longer able to 
follow the vocations that belong to the farm and its pas- 
toral life, begins to long for the city or the town. If pos- 
sible, he frees himself from the responsibilities of the farm. 
This is not because city or town is more natural or more 
favorable, but because manhood is waning. He is no long- 
er able to lean upon his own manliness and strength. He 
seeks conditions that afford olo,se contact with others* 
Those upon whom he leans in the new environment may 
likewise be waning in manhood and strength. This is only 
a natural manifestation of the law of attraction. He is con- 
tent to find support among those of like statu,s with him- 
self. 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 125 

Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, we find inculcated 
the great law of naturalness and manhood and strength. 
Not much is said concerning immorality or concerning the 
future life except the simple statement that he was "gath- 
ered unto his fathers" or that God had "called him unto 
Himself. " Why is this? Why does the book that con- 
tains the foundation of all physical, moral, and divine laws 
have so little to say in regard to the future state of the 
soul? Is it not because the law of naturalness and man- 
liness, the law of health and strength, includes all other 
laws? Is it not because, through the observance of this 
law, the matter of morals and of a future existence take,s 
care of itself? The great masters of old, the ancient 
prophets, the wise sages, recognized the fact that, if a 
man follows a natural occupation, under natural, creative 
conditions, living much in the open air, following pastoral 
pursuits, health and strength are to be expected. To be 
strong and healthy is an assurance of a strong and healthy 
mind. A strong and healthy mind is the moral mind. Im- 
morality never dwells long with strength and manhood. 
From every point of view, manhood is the opposite of 
weakness, immorality, and depravity. Moreover, the proph- 
ets and lawgivers of old recognized that, where there 
is manliness and manhood in all its glory, one is sure to 
live a life that is full of peace and glory and free from 
blemishes. As the future life is a continuation of the 
present, they recognized that the one who had lived such 
a life, on passing into another state, was "gathered unto 
his fathers," or "unto the Father." 

In the Hebraic Scriptures, we find many indications 
of a belief in immortality. In addition to the possession 
of health and strength, manliness and selfhood, the ideal 
of immortality is pointed out to man. The prophets are 
said to have spoken "face to face with God." This indi- 
cates a consciousness of Oneness with the Infinite, and 
brings with it Individuality, and Conscious Immortality. 

How infinitely superior is the doctrine of ancient proph- 



126 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

lets and sages, with their ideal of manhood and strength, 
to the doctrine of later philosophies and religions, which 
inculcate the belief that physical strength and health are 
antagonistic to spiritual welfare, that earthly joys are to 
be refused, that earthly possessions are a snare and a 
delusion. 

A comparison of conditions as they are at present and 
as they were in former times favors the days of prophet 
and sage. True it is, to be sure, that among men of old 
existed weaknesses, diseases, abnormalities, and crimes. 
But they were the result of depression and congestion; 
and, when these were removed, illness took its flight. Yet, 
in those days, there was not the demand for almshouses, 
insane hospitals, and other centers of refuge for the af- 
flicted. These are- products of civilization — a civilization 
characterized by negative, destructive doctrines of life. 
Out of those who should have been men and women full 
of life and vitality, full of joy and happiness, fit subjects 
for the realm of bliss that ha,s been the dream of the 
ages, the characteristic doctrines of so-called civilization 
have made weaklings and vampires upon society. 

Without a reasonable degree of health and strength, 
which is the indication of a natural, normal life, there can 
be no manhood, no manliness, manifesting in morality. 
Furthermore, where there is no manhood, there can be 
no Godhood (Goodhood), no Sonship with the Father, 
who manifests through all that is natural, all that is glo- 
rious, all that is pure and lovable. When an animal is 
diseased, we call it impure and unfit for man. But, when 
man is diseased, a distorted and perverted philosophy gives 
him credit for great purity, being deluded by the belief 
that he has much of goodness, much of God, within him. 
Flow inconsistent is the belief of man! How little logic 
in his thinking and in his acceptance of facts ! His sense 
cf fitness, how beclouded through living under unnatural 
conditions! When unnatural, abnormal conditions give 
way, and normal, healthful conditions take their place, 
great transformations may be expected. Then will health 
on the three planes of existence — physical, mental, and 
spiritual — be recognized as an essential to manhood and 
manliness; and manhood and manliness will be recognized 
frs essentials in him who seeks Godhood, 



CHAPTER THIRTEEN 

Neither wisdom nor goodness is indicated by renunciation 
of earthly possessions. 

Through a strange misconception of life, it has been 
falsely claimed that renunciation of the world, earthly 
possessions, and material blessings is a sure indication 
0* greatness of soul. 

If it were a fact that life in and of itself is an evil 
or a misfortune, this might be true. But neither reason 
nor normal instinct sanctions the doctrine that life is an 
evil. Nor is there any ground for the belief that the All 
Father sanctions such a doctrine. And, beyond all possi- 
bility of contradiction, this doctrine has never been ,sanc- 
tioned by those who travel the path of wisdom. More 
than this, the philosophy that throws a false glamor over 
renunciation of material interests has its origin in nega- 
tiveness. It i,s a destructive doctrine, and needs to be ef- 
faced from the minds and the hearts of men. It has al- 
ready played havoc with many lives, and has thrown vast 
numbers into a state of negativeness, from which it is dif- 
ficult to recover. Those who are too negative to put forth 
effort to obtain earthly possessions have eased their own 
consciences by claiming that earthly treasures are detri- 
mental to spiritual welfare. 

The blessings of earth are not condemned by the 
Father of all. Nor are they destructive elements in dis- 
guise, come to lead man astray, to lead him away from 
the true life, away from the goal of Immortality. On 
the contrary, earthly blessings obtained without harm or 
Joss to others are actually incentives to the better life, They 



128 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

help to make life worth living. They are incentives to 
greater effort and to greater achievement. He who ob- 
tains earthly pleasures through his own efforts appreciates 
them and extracts eternal good from them. 

It is a provision of the Divine Law that man gains 
beauty and strength through effort. Effort is the gateway 
to the highest life possible for man to know. The ideal of 
effort calls for a type of self-denial that is overlooked 
as ,such by those who advocate negative doctrines. It 
demands that man shall deny himself the privilege of an 
inactive, negative life. To some, it would be a great hard- 
ship to be compelled to put forth effort. To some, it is a 
great privilege, an indescribable pleasure, to be permitted 
to indulge in lethargy and inactivity. Their natures are 
so negative that lethargy and inactivity are the only en- 
joyments. E^ase and inertness are the natural states of 
negative natures. Such is not the case with normal active 
beings. The normal being takes delight in activity and 
growth and changes. The doctrine of self-help, of effort, 
of work, of development, leads a man to fulfil the destiny 
of his creation. Any other type of life leads away from 
the ideal of beauty and strength of character. 

In order that life may be sustained on the earth, it is 
necessary that ,some shall make an effort to produce those 
things which are necessary to life. It is possible for each 
man to produce three or more times as much as he re- 
quires for his own consumption. But there are many — the 
aged, women and children — who are not producers or 
creators. These must be provided for. Each normal man 
should, therefore, be a creator of from three to five times 
the material he requires for himself alone. Moreover, when 
we consider the vast number of drones, actual vampires, 
who live, but who labor not, we find that another ratio 
of one or two must be added to the sum total for whom 
the real man mu,st create or produce, That this is so is 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 129 

due to abnormal economic and industrial conditions. But, 
in far too many instances, the non-producers are the very 
ones who teach negative, destructive doctrines — the evil 
of earthly possessions and the renunciation of earthly 
pleasure and earthly gain. This they do either because they 
are ignorant of all fundamental laws of life or because 
they desire to blindfold the eyes and to blunt the under- 
standing of those who labor and produce, of those who 
feed them. Through this type of teaching, producers are 
lcc to class the useless, negative, do-nothing, possess-noth- 
ing life as divine and blessed of God, and to consider 
themselves as honored among men in that they are able 
to support th^s class of teachers. 

But the awakening is coming. Men are beginning 
to understand that the first great command of the All 
Father, "By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou live," in- 
cludes not only the teeming millions who do labor, but also 
the multitudes of men who have for centuries lived with- 
out useful toil, without effort, simply because they have 
been enabled to enclave thousands through their destruc- 
tive doctrines. 

Renunciation of the blessings of life, of joy, and of 
happiness is no indication whatever of godliness. On the 
contrary, when our eyes are fully opened to the divine 
truths, we are convinced that it is a mark of degeneracy. 
It is a process of eternal night, which has begun in the 
lives of men who are still on the earth. The process of 
eternal day, on the other hand, is already begun for those 
who are putting forth conscious effort to reach Godhood 
through manhood. For those who are living in the day- 
light, the method and the ideal is neither denial nor re- 
nunciation, but self-as,sertiveness and self-exertion. 

Many blessings, this earth of ours can give. Good 
2nd pleasant are the delicacies that nature provides for 
fooci and drink. Nor ajre they denied man to enjoy. Sweet 



130 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

is the rest that comes after the toil of a useful life. Sweet 
is the love that is ours honestly won from our fellow trav- 
ellers. In many other forms and in countless ways come 
the blessings of earth to man. These are not curses in 
disguise. They are actual blessings. We have earned them 
through effort. That which man earn,s is not a curse. Nor 
is it productive of harm. That which has been honestly 
and legitimately earned helps to build up, to make one 
stronger, to give one wisdom. Through wisdom, he gains 
those things which are truly worth while. Not through 
renunciation of earthly possessions does man obtain peace 
and joy, happiness and contentment. Nor indeed can it 
be said that he obtains peace and joy, happiness and con- 
tentment necessarily and invariably, through, or by means 
of. earthly possessions. Neither renunciation nor posses- 
sion can, of itself, be considered a sure sign of peace and 
happiness. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that earthly 
possession^ are by no means antagonistic to a pure and 
guileless spirit. The conditions of living on the earth de- 
mand that man shall provide, for himself and those de- 
pendent upon him, not only food, shelter, raiment, and other 
necessities of life, but al^so a reasonable degree of educa- 
tion, culture, and social enjoyment. These things the nor- 
mal man craves. And rightly so. There is joy and zest 
in putting forth effort to obtain these. The effort and 
the ability necessary to secure these i,s one feature of peace 
and happiness. Through well-earned effort, through the 
ability to secure the necessities and the cultural advantages 
of life, and through proper use of them, does man obtain 
peace and joy, happiness and contentment. The conscious- 
ness of honest and legitimate effort gives ownership both 
its right and its pleasure. He who, through honest toil 
and exertion, has earned the right to possession knows 
the joy and the pleasure of possession. 

No.t so with him who has renounced earthly blessings, 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 131 

with him who regards life itself as evil. To him in his 
dormant state, not truly earning and deserving the tem- 
poral blessings of life, they grant little comfort and .cheer. 
Apparently, he needs little in order to live. Nevertheless, 
during the term of life all told, he requires a great deal. 
Not having earned this, but having obtained it through the 
efforts of others, he is doubly a vampire on society — first, 
in that he lives on what does not properly belong to him, 
second, in that he has taken from others what does rightly 
belong to them. He may indeed train himself into a self- 
deluded satisfaction, regarding his life a,s righteous and 
godly; nevertheless, his conscience is so benumbed by the 
hypnotic effect of his erroneous philosophy that it grants 
no comfort or cheer. There is a va t st difference between 
a conscience that fails, through inertness, to prick, and a 
conscience that affords positive comfort through a sense 
cf having done one's best. Were his teachings a positive 
good to mankind, it might readily be conceded that they 
should earn for him a livelihood. But, considering that 
they are a positive harm, in that they advocate a life of 
inertness and inactivity, it can scarcely be claimed that 
through his doctrines he deserves the recompense of daily 
need. 

Renunciation belongs to the undeveloped, possibly to 
the aged man who has used up all his energies, all his 
virility, all his vitality, and has reached that ,stage of life 
in which effort is no longer desirable or natural. To these, 
it may be conceded that renunciation is right. But to the 
man of good body and good mind, it is a sin — a sin, in 
that it is a violation of the law of one's own being, a sin 
that eats out the very life of the soul and brings the 
individuality to a state of senility or impotence, and ends 
in the night of desolation. 

The healthy-minded are willing to put forth effort, 
jevery effort in their power. Every new effort brings still 



132 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

greater strength and power to be used in still more profit- 
able and more availing effort. The healthy-minded seek 
work that is a test of ,strength in order to gain strength 
and self-reliance. The unhealthy mind is responsible for 
the doctrine of renunciation. Such a mind, weakened and 
imbecile, cannot understand the law of "the survival of 
the fittest." Therefore, not willing to meet the conditions 
cf the law by putting forth effort, they formulate a doc- 
trine based on weakness. By dressing it in the garb of 
divinity, they prey upon those who produce by putting 
forth effort. 

In ages past, it was considered that the weak-minded 
and the insane were especially blessed of the gods. They 
were ,set apart as favored ones, and they received the most 
deferential treatment. Nor was anything denied these un- 
fortunate ones. A similar idea obtains today in regard to 
those who live an effortless, useless life, asking alms in 
order that they may live. Even men otherwise ,strong and 
powerful, and having creative and productive ability, set 
apart, as favored of the gods, those who teach a doctrine 
of renunciation and inactivity. In the last analysis, it is 
the same error of thought that tenders respect for the 
one class and for the other. 

Men have not fully awakened to |the |fact 'that, 
unle,ss prevented by reasons that are beyond control, only 
those who labor are deserving. It must be remembered, 
however, that mental power and skill expended in pro- 
ductive channels are to be classed among the labor that is 
deserving. Labor, toil, effort, self-exertion, self-assertive- 
nes,s, by no means need indicate slavish drudgery and un- 
inviting conditions. The life of effort that is most de- 
serving often manifests in an expenditure of mental power 
and soul force and nerve vitality little dreamed of by the 
manual laborer. Yet such a life may be a fitting illus- 
tration of the effort that deserves, Also to the unskilled 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 123 

laborer, ,such a life may seem to be an idle life, simply be- 
cause he has no conception of the expenditure of vitality 
necessary to mental work. 

This same negative philosophy, which has been the 
cause of making imbeciles out of those who should have 
been engaged in useful toil and productiveness, is to be 
held accountable for child labor and woman labor. 

There is nothing to indicate that the Divine Law sanc- 
tions compulsory labor of childhood and womanhood. 
Whether the compulsion is brought about through economic 
conditions in general or through the greed of grasping in- 
dividuals, it is not sanctioned by the Divine Law. It is a 
violation of child nature, a violation of the laWjS of growth, 
naturalness, and spontaneity to place the child under con- 
ditions that compel it to do one thing, or to toil inces- 
santly, from morning till night. This very thing is re- 
cuired of the child in order that its labor may be pro- 
ductive and profitable to the employer. 

Certain conditions belong by divine right to childhood. 
If these conditions are violated, the child reaps the inevi- 
table consequence of their violation. Four characteristics 
are pronounced in childhood — the instinct to play, the in- 
stinct to learn or to satisfy a normal curiosity, the instinct 
"to help," and the instinct that demands change and ver- 
satility. These characteristics appear at a very early age. 
They are the divine heritage of the normal child. In them. 
selve,s, they are good, aye, even very good. Through en- 
couragement and proper guiding, they lead the child to 
manhood and strength. If, on the other hand, these in- 
stincts are violated or crushed, a dwarfed, imbecile con- 
dition results ; and not only is childhood made unhappy and 
unnatural, but strong, well-developed manhood i,s impos- 
sible. 

These normal instincts in the child are easily grati- 
fied. The play spirit is a wholesome instinct, which serves 



134 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

to develop the physical and also gratifie,s the desire to 
learn. The play spirit may be turned to good account in 
teaching the child useful tasks and in satisfying the desire 
to help. Under wholesome, sweet-spirited guidance, per- 
formance of simple tasks adapted to hi^s ability affords as 
much pleasure as unmolested play. It is only normal and 
natural that the child should learn in very early years 
the art of usefulness. In early life, while the instinct to 
help, to learn, to do, to keep busy and active, is pronounced, 
is the time to form habits — habits in doing the ordinary 
tasks of the well-ordered home, habits in regard to per- 
sonal appearance and personal needs. When curiosity is 
alert in the discovery of the mechanism and the use of 
the ordinary conveniences of life is the time to teach the 
child the correct ways and means of applying them to 
lifers comfort. 

Under normal home conditions, the instincts of child- 
hood are encouraged and satisfied and turned to good ac- 
count. Under conditions of child labor, they are crushed 
and violated. Spontaneity, originality, naturalness, versa- 
tility, the play spirit, the disposition to learn — all are crush, 
ed and killed under the grind of incessant and monotonous 
toil of the factory or workshop. 

As long as men fail to do their full duty, just that 
long will child labor (than which what is more contempt- 
ible?) continue to exist. Just as long as there are men, 
multitudes of them, for one reason or another, living upon 
the labor of others, just that long will it be necessary for 
children to be taken from their 'natural: state and 'be 
forced to do that which should be done by men. Certain- 
ly these conditions do not speak well for our religion or 
for our philosophy. Surely, they are an abomination unto 
the Lord. Deserving of reproach indeed are those who 
engage in the unholy traffic of child labor. 

The same arguments hold good in regard to woman 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 135 

labor. There is a sphere of activity that belongs, by nature 
and by right, to woman. This realm gives her both em- 
ployment and joy of life. It is a realm of useful service 
and versatility, affording variety and pleasure. Life in 
her legitimate realm develops originality, force of charac- 
ter, and graces of heart, and makes her truly a gra- 
cious lovable creature. The marts of trade, the fields of 
production, belong by nature and by right to man. The 
normal man ought to produce enough for from three to 
seven persons. If every man did his duty, if every man 
followed the dictates of true manhood, woman would not 
need to enter those fields of labor which belong distinctive- 
ly to man. In her own sphere, she would still have every 
opportunity for self-development and pleasant employ- 
ment. She might still realize all tho^e comforts which 
make life worth the living. When the ideal of manhood 
holds sway as the standard of life, things will be different ; 
and child labor and woman labor, as known today, will be 
no more. 

The economic conditions that make child labor and 
woman labor necessary are the direct result of philoso- 
phies and doctrines which put a premium on usele^sness, 
on imbecility, on vampirism. They are the direct result 
of teachings which make men believe that possession and 
the desire for earthly joy are wrong. They are the natural 
outgrowth of standards which place a premium on inert- 
ness and inactivity. 

Let it be noted that the characteristic instincts of the 
child are, likewise, the characteristic instincts of the nor- 
mal man and woman. To be sure, they undergo changes 
and express themselves differently in the mature person; 
but they are, in reality, the traits that characterize the 
normal, positive, active personality. As already ,stated, 
these instincts are the play spirit, the inclination to learn, 
the desire to help and to serve, the inclination to keep 



136 THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 

busy and active, and to enjoy a reasonable degree of 
change and variety. These are wholesome, normal traits, 
and, if gratified, will help keep man young, active, alert. 
Let it also be noted, that the,se very traits receive the 
death blow from philosophies that exalt negativeness, in- 
activity, and renunciation -of life's joys. The basis in- 
stincts of life are crushed under philosophies based on 
renunciation. Rather than being a mark of godliness to 
renounce earthly possessions and earthly joys, it is a 
mark of impotence and abnormality. That which crushes 
originality, spontaneity, naturalness, versatility, ajid 
fondnes ( s of effort and energy crushes manhood and 
strength. That which crushes manhood crushes and de- 
feats the possibility of Godhood. 

No wonder that men who have at heart human good 
are zealous in their promulgation of a doctrine that exalts 
manhood and manliness. The need of the hour is teach- 
ing that inciters men to effort, to action, to the cultiva- 
tion of strength and power, teaching that incites men to 
welcome those responsibilities in life which develop strength 
through the testing of strength. As men accept the doc- 
trine of manhood, as they frown upon those things which 
cause weakness and inertness in man, and foster slavish 
and uninviting toil and drudgery on the part of child- 
hood and womanhood, the new age will set in, the en- 
lightened, the godly age. For, then, men will be too man- 
ly to do that which is unmanly or to allow it to be done. 
Consequently, the weak will be forced to become strong or 
at least to honor the standards of the strong. 

This world was not created in order to become a 
place of sorrow and misery. Nor was it destined as a 
land in which ignorance and vice should rule. Rather it 
was created in order to become a heaven of joy and con- 
tentment. It is destined as a land in which men might, in 
the here and the now, ta } ste the joys that come to the en- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 137 

lightened and developed soul. Unless this purpose of 
creation is being realized, conditions on this plane are un- 
natural and not sanctioned by the All Creator. 

Man came to the earth ignorant and bound by limita- 
tions. He came with no experience. He knew not sor- 
row from joy, nor pain from pleasure. He came that he 
might free himself from ignorance and limitation. The 
only way in which it is possible for him to do this is to 
learn through experience and effort. But, if he accepts 
the doctrine of renunciation, the undesirability of earthly 
possessions, the suppression and denial of joy and happi- 
ness, how is he to fulfill this purpose for which he was 
born? To renounce earthly conditions is to refuse to 
learn lessons and to gain experience therefrom. This in 
itself is proof of the destructiveness of negative doctrines. 
They lead men away from the very purpose of creation, 
and develop in him a spirit of rebellion or antagonism 
against the very purpose for which he came to earth. In- 
stead of developing the powers inherent in his nature, 
turning them to good account in benefiting others, and 
making him master of conditions, negative doctrines dwarf 
and stunt his abilities and leave him a weak, undeveloped 
creature, slave to the conditions of life. 

To be sure, the experience that develops strength de- 
mands contact with sorrow and pain and undesirable con- 
ditions. But, when the purpose of life is clearly under- 
stood and cheerfully accepted, the blessings of life are 
far in excess of the sorrows. True it is that between the 
pleasures and the joys there are long stages of effort, 
long intervals of labor. But, to the normal mind, there is 
in labor neither sorrow nor suffering. To the healthful 
disposition, labor is a delight. Through our efforts, a new 
creation is opened up to view. The fact of creating and 
producing is in itself a joy. There i,s no higher happiness 
known to man than the consciousness of being a creator 



1*8 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

and a producer. All too true, sorrows come. But, to the 1 
true man, sorrow is like the night. It enables him to 
distinguish night from day. Night is the time of rest and 
absorption of strength, so that we shall be prepared for 
another day of greater effort, so that we shall have the 
capacity for greater enjoyment and happiness. 

Freedom from evil does not result from renuncia- 
tion. Renunciation and suppression bring no type of free- 
dom. Freedom comes through exchanging ignorance for 
wisdom, weakness for strength. Denial brings not strength 
and freedom. Through effort and through persistent use 
of the power entrusted to us, we gain freedom. Sins of 
the flesh are no greater than sins of the mind. The 
thought that is destructive to the self and to others is 
detrimental, and, therefore, a sin as truly as is the deed 
indicated by the thought. Desires of the flesh which bring 
harm neither to the self nor to others are not sinful. 
They are sinful only when they result in weakness or 
bondage or destructiveness. Destructiveness in every 
shade and degree i ( s evil and a grievous error. Then let 
no one think it godly to renounce and to suppress life's 
earthly tokens, to deny and to become negative. Renun- 
ciation of joys is far from being a mark of godliness. 



CHAPTER FOURTEEN 

The Kingdom of Heaven is a kingdom of joy add 
satisfaction. 

There is a doctrine claiming that the love of joy is 
an evil which belongs to the carnal nature, and that, if we 
do not get rid of this desire for joy, we shall forfeit all 
possibility of happiness beyond the grave. This, we have 
been taught, time and again, in philosophy and in relig- 
ion. There are other negative, destructive doctrines which 
are part and parcel of this, such as, that natural instincts 
are destructive to the soul, that life is undesirable and 
even evil, that to seek happiness in this life is to be de- 
fied happiness in the next, and that only the denial of 
pleasure, happiness, and joy, and the killing out of all 
that is natural and normal in our natures will lead to 
happiness in the future life. 

One of the greatest truths ever expressed by a world 
saviour is this: 

"Unless ye become as little children, ye can in no 
wise enter the kingdom of heaven." 

Those who most frequently quote this saying empha- 
size the innocence and guilelessness of childhood. They 
overlook one of the most pronounced characteristics of 
the child — its joyousness and delight in living. To the 
child, living is a pure delight, a delight that is taken for 
granted. To the child, it as accepted as self-evident that 
to live and to enjoy is right. This natural child trait — ■ 
the pure joy of living, the pure delight of existence, the 
joy that asks no questions, but takes all' for granted — the 
great teacher of men made use of as the foundation of 
his philosophy of life. 



140 THE WAY TO GODHOOD" 

No, a thousand times No, the desire to enjoy and the 
delight of living are by no mean ( s evil. It is not evil for 
its so to live as to/ find all the joy possible in life. 
Our one concern mu,st be that joy is not gained at the 
expense of another or of our own well-being. Other than 
this, there need be no anxiety in regard to seeking joy 
and happiness. There is the possibility of joy at the 
expense of one's own higher interests. A joy may be 
temporary and fleeting, leaving in its wake nothing but 
bitterness and anguish. This is not a true and normal 1 joy. 
A joy may be for a moment, resulting in hours of an- 
guish. Neither can this be classed as a true and normal 
joy. This is not the joy for us to seek. The joy to seek 
is that which brings sorrow and suffering to no one, 
joy that has no harmful reaction. When we seek and ob- 
tain this type of joy, we are innocently joyous like the 
little child. 

Joy is a state of the inner being that indicates 
growth and development. To him who believes that our 
natural instincts are destructive, there is no real joy. 
Neither is there for him true, normal growth and develop- 
ment. Under the false impression that joy is a delusion 
and a snare, capable of destroying the soul, the very foun- 
tain of joy in one's nature is either closed or so embit- 
tered that no true joy is to be found. The faculties are 
benumbed and dwarfed. Normal development, expansion, 
and unfoldment of character is impossible. The exper- 
ienced gardener realizes that the root,s of the plant must 
be free from obstructions. The soil must be kept free 
from stones and other obstacles. Joy is the state of the 
soul that frees the life of obstructions to growth. Joy 
keeps the soil mellow so that light, warmth, moisture, and 
sunshine may easily penetrate to the very roots of exist- 
ence and liberate nature's pent-up forces. 

All erroneous philosophy or religion is deadening to 
every faculty of the soul. If one really believes that the 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 141 

natural instincts are evil, he will shun conditions which 
are natural. In consequence, through the crushing of that 
which is natural, he is made unnatural. Pain and sor- 
row are the inevitable fruits of such a life. Joy is not 
a part of it. He who believes that nature is deceiving, 
and that to follow nature is an evil, and is entirely car- 
nal, will al,so look upon life as an evil. He who does 
not believe in the desirability of life certainly is inca- 
pable of joy. To the natural human being, the mere fact 
of living is a pure joy. An erroneous idea or belief is 
"the leaven that leavens the whole lump." It leaves its 
poisonous effects in every part of the organism. No ele- 
ment of the being escapes its destructive influence. 

On the other hand, a wholesome philosophy or re- 
ligion enlivens and cheers and stimulates to growth every 
faculty of the being. The realization that life is joy comes 
to those who are natural, to those who are free, to thos^ 
vho are slave,s neither to another nor to an unnatural 
condition within themselves. The unnatural condition 
may be due to an error of belief or an error of habit or 
to an error of disease or poor health. Those who are 
racked with disease and pain cannot possibly know the 
highest degree of satisfying joy. A diseased and painful 
condition i,s often due to error and falsity of belief. He 
who believes in the evil of natural instincts regards na- 
ture as evil. Consequently, he will not follow nature's 
laws in regard to health. Good health belongs to him who 
lives a natural, normal life, in keeping with a natural, nor- 
mal philosophy of life. Without a normal view of life, 
the mind cannot be normal. If the mind and its reflec- 
tions and views are abnormal, it is impossible for the body 
to be in perfect health. Joy in life therefore depends on 
naturalness of being and living. Sorrow, pain, and dis- 
appointment are the portion of him who is unnatural in 
thought mi life. 



142 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Joy must be interwoven with all things, if life is to 
be natural and normal. To the true man, all things bring 
joy. To the man whose mind is free from remorse, each 
incident and circumstance brings its peculiar shade and 
degree of joy. There is joy in labor. No matter what 
it may be, it affords a certain type of joy. To him, the 
hour of recreation and the hour of rest are a pure de- 
light. There is nothing to distract the mind, nothing to 
tincture his thoughts with the caprice and the wayward- 
ness of life. All things are because (hey should be. 
Though there are for him times of sorrow, as must be 
for all men, his natural and wholesome mind does not in- 
terpret them as due to his own shortcomings. He does 
not brood over them. Nor does he poison his life with 
bitterness and morbidness. Though there is sorrow, 
peace is never disthroned. 

Peace of mind is the constant possession of the nor- 
mal mind. This is the characteristic of the natural life. 
He who lives in harmony with nature and her laws re- 
tains peace of mind even amid most strenuous crises. Los- 
ing a loved one, he is in deep sorrow. But sorrow does 
not destroy the peace that passeth all understanding. 
There may be sorrow and loneliness, but peace of mind 
withstands every shock and pain. Peace of mind i,s dis- 
throned only through evil thoughts and acts, and through 
morbid and destructive beliefs. When peace takes flight, 
man is in sorrow indeed. Grief and wretchedness are his 
lot and portion. 

To seek joy is a^ natural as to seek happiness. Both 
may be found by him who is willing to accept a natural, 
normal, divine philosophy and to live a natural, normal, 
godly life. It is left with each individual to make the 
choice. Each is the judge for himself. Free-will is giv- 
en to each. He must choose, and as he chooses, so shall 
it £>e unto him. He may choose freedom and realize joy 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 143 

as a natural consequence. He may choose bondage to 
some form of unnaturalness and reap the inevitable con- 
sequence thereof. 

The unnaturalness to which one may be in bondage 
presents many forms. It may be disease, morbid and 
inert states of mind, the many shades and tints of weak- 
ness and cowardice by which one may be enslaved. He 
who is so enslaved cannot know true peace and joy. Al- 
ways present is the phantom of that which binds him, call- 
ing attention to his own weakness. He who is in bondage 
to anything i,s in that particular respect bereft of the 
childlike spirit. The child refuses to be bound. The child 
spurns the idea that joy is evil. 

When natural desires are suppressed, the possibility 
of joy is reduced or made impossible. In proportion as 
the possibility of joy passes, in that proportion do abnor- 
mal instincts and desires take the place of joy. These 
abnormal instincts and desire,s, in time, become so estab- 
lished as to seem both desirable and natural, causing those 
who are slaves to them to believe that they are preparing 
the way for a life of pleasure and happiness in a future 
state. 

Self-renunciation is opposed to joy. It is the very 
opposite of joy. Nevertheless, it has been believed by 
many and freely taught that renunciation is the gateway 
to a heaven of bliss. But that this is a destructive doc- 
trine is apparent to all who will think. A little attention 
to nature's methods and ways reveals the absurdity of 
such a doctrine. A study of the great Masters and world 
Saviors reveals that not one of them has advocated such 
a belief. In nature, the only renunciation is of that which 
is useless or destructive. Nature does not renounce ac- 
tivity. Nor does she renounce strength and satisfaction 
and happiness. On the contrary, everywhere in nature, 
thrift and accomplishment healtji a_nci strength, are en- 



144 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

couraged. It is only through constant creation that na- 
ture is enabled to meet the demands made upon her. She 
is constantly taxed to the utmost to produce enough to 
satisfy the needs of those dependent upon her. Conse- 
quently, she is actively creating and producing. In na- 
ture, this iron law i,s constantly in operation: that which 
does not produce, that which does not yield profit, must 
give place to that which is productive and profitable. 
.Through this law, nature is constantly preaching against 
renunciation. 

Akin to the sense of enjoyment is that other pas- 
sion known as affection. Affection for anything or any- 
one, no matter what the degree of affection, brings joy. 
And the more highly evolved the human being becomes, 
the deeper and the more sincere will become the affec- 
tion of such an one for those who are near and dear. 
Nor does affection stop with mere pleasure and satisfac- 
tion. It produces comeliness and strength of soul. The 
soul' ( s affection will come, in time, to be all-inclusive in 
its scope and its embrace. The cloak of charity and free- 
dom, it spreads over all; although personal affection and 
admiration, it cafanot 'bestow upon those who wilfully 
bind themselves to falsity of belief and to error of ways. 
,There is sympathy and charity for all, even the wayward 
and the ignorant and the cruel, and tho^se who know not 
the Divine Law. Charity grants to each man his free- 
dom and right of choice, but, by no means, does charity 
sanction and endorse the choice of slavery to ignorance, 
error, and negativeness. 

The doctrine of renunciation maintains that affection 
binds man to his kind and to things of the earth ; whereas, 
his affection should bind him only to the things of heav- 
en. Nevertheless, no one can deny that we are taught in 
Holy Writ to love one another and to be "kindly affec- 
tionate," Love is .affection in the highest degree. Love 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 145 

begins on the earth. Love for God begins on the earth 
plane and must be cultivated on the earth plane. Love 
for God is grown through love for one's fellowmen. He 
who loves not his fellows and has no affection for his 
kind, hi,s friends, his near of kin, is incapable of love for 
God. The heart that is filled with illusions on earth can 
scarcely become free from them immediately after the 
earthly casing is thrown off. 

The doctrine of non-renunciation of joy maintains 
that affection for the treasures of heaven is developed 
through, and by means of, affection in earthly relation- 
ships. Rather than renouncing affection, one should cul- 
tivate it. Love for friend and family and neighbor is the 
kindergarten of love for God. The ideal of health and 
/strength, of grace and beauty of character, is to be en- 
couraged, as means of developing comeliness of soul. The 
natural ties of home and community are harbingers of 
good. Through devotion and loyalty in human relation- 
ships, through service and helpfulness in every depart- 
ment of human interests, the soul becomes strong and 
powerful and comely, qualified to meet the demands of a 
higher plane. Therefore, man should diligently seek those 
relationships on earth which fit him to enjoy the realities 
of existence on any plane. Joy comes through the power 
to serve, the power to help, those whom we love. Thus, 
health is a condition of joy because it enables us to do 
and to serve. For the same reason, strength is a condi- 
tion of joy. Without health and strength, the highest de- 
gree of joy is impossible. According to the doctrine of joy 
and happiness, all those states and conditions in life which 
are denounced and discouraged by negative doctrines are 
to be cultivated and encouraged. 

He who is unable to know joy and happiness on the 
earthly plane is not far advanced in the scale of spiritual- 
ity. He who knows not joy and happiness knows not God. 



143 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

joy, happiness, health, strength, are a part of the divine 
nature. They are essentials of creative ability; and God 
is, essentially, now and always, a Creator. Weakness and 
illness, misery and wretchedness, impatience and inertness 
— the.se things are, now and always, destructive, and are 
to be classed among the things that pass away. They in- 
terfere with creative ability and hold man on the plane 
of non-productiveness. They are the conditions that must 
give place to elements of power and productive skill. They 
are evil because they are non-producing, because they are 
non-fruitful. He who follows the law of renunciation 
follow^ the negative law of non-productivity. Joy and 
happiness are elements of spirituality. They are incen- 
tives to usefulness and kindness to others, incentives to 
service and devotion and loyalty. They are natural traits 
of the productive, fruitful life. 

"Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these 
things will be added unto you." 

Seeking the kingdom of heaven certainly is not to 
seek sorrow, indifference, imbecility, and inertness. One 
does not need to seek, in order to find these things. One 
needs only to renounce active, positive virtues and, to do 
nothing at all except idle away strength in order to ob- 
tain sorrow, indifference, imbecility, and inertness. But, 
in order to have health and strength, in order to gain 
possession of those things which bring joy and happiness, 
peace and contentment, man must seek. He must put forth 
efi'ort. He mu,st free the mind of undesirable habits. 
He must fight and struggle for the sake of gaining strength. 
He must do his duty to his fellow man. This ideal and 
standard of life calls for activity, industry, usefulness, 
service. It call,s for the joy of effort. This is seeking 
the kingdom of heaven. Mere introspection, meditation, 
reflection, and the contemplation of lofty truths is not 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 147 

enough. Seeking the kingdom of heaven demands an ac- 
tive, positive life of usefulness among men. 

Joy in the heart is an indication of having found the 
kingdom of heaven. He who has joy in his heart is to 
that extent in the kingdom. The joy that results from 
doing right is the joy of the kingdom. To continue in the 
way of life that brings joy, is to continue in the king- 
dom. The kingdom of heaven is nothing more or less than 
the kingdom of satisfaction, or the plane of satisfaction. 
When there is peace and satisfaction of mind and soul, 
then man is truly entered into the kingdom of heaven. It 
is a kingdom of joy and gladness. 

Blind faith cannot free one from sorrow. We may 
have all possible faith in a negative doctrine, and yet be 
full of suffering and sorrow. Where suffering and sor- 
row abound is not the state of bliss and satisfaction. 
Faith without works, faith without demonstration, is dead. 
If we have faith and if we work and thereby obtain, then 
is our faith of the kind that results in salvation. Salvation 
is freedom from things that are undesirable. If we have 
faith in God, faith that He will give us happiness, but 
have not that faith which causes us to meet the conditions 
of happiness, then we shall reap disappointment. In like 
manner, if we have faith that God will give us health, but 
have not the faith that causes us to obey the laws of health, 
we shall reap disappointment. Our faith is blind and dead, 
and brings forth no fruits. We may have faith that we 
shall be happy in a future state; but, unless we actively 
put forth effort to obtain happiness and to give happiness 
to others in this life, here and now, we are not qualified 
for happiness in any state. 

Since joy is the result of doing well, since salvation 
is the result of an active, positive faith manifesting in 
works, there i,s no ground for the doctrine of renuncia- 
tion and inactivity. Think not that, after a life of re- 



148 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

nunciation, joy and happiness will come to you when the 
body is cast aside. For, if you do not so live as to find 
peace and joy here and now, how is it possible to know 
them on any other plane or in any other sphere? 

Learn from the child, which finds joy and happiness 
in every breath it takes, joy in play, joy in food and drink, 
joy in work, joy in all things that belong to life. 

"Unless ye become as little children, ye can in no 
wise enter the kingdom of heaven.'* 

Accept the philosophy of joy. Accept a natural, 
though divine, philosophy of life. Live the philosophy of 
joy. Live a natural, divine philosophy of life. And the 
kingdom of joy, the kingdom of heaven, shall be yours. 



CHAPTER FIFTEEN 

Suffer not injustice to be done. 

For the past few centuries, a double standard a doub- 
le law, totally contradictory, has been taught mankind — 
that is, the doctrine of non-resistance and the doctrine of 
punishment for wrong-doing. As generally understood, 
these standards are in conflict one with the other. For 
this reason, justice has fled; and it is a matter of influ- 
ence as to who is puni,shed and who is not punished. 

The principle of non-resistance, rightly understood, is 
a very important aspect of the Divine Law. But, through 
prevalent misconceptions ahd misrepresentations, it has 
been carried to absurd extremes, and ha,s been woefully 
perverted. Instead of making men out of criminals, it 
has often resulted in making criminals out of men. In- 
stead of making men strong and self-reliant, it has made 
them weak and omnipotent. Rightly understood, the law 
of non-resistance is positive, demanding positive strength 
on the part of him who obeys it. As generally accepted, 
it is a negative standard, tending toward lethargy and in- 
ertness on the part of him who follows it. 

The law,s of resistance, non-resistance, and of punish- 
ment are one and the same. These three are indeed one, 
viewed from different angles. The laws of justice de- 
mands a supplement. The necessary supplement and cor- 
ollary of justice is mercy. The mistake of those who carry 
the law of non-resistance to extreme limits is in thinking 
that there is a conflict between mercy and justice. The 
two are in perfect harmony. Resistance, non-resistance, 
justice, and mercy are in exact accord one with another. 



150 THE WAY TO GODHOOP 

A prevalent misconception of the law of non-resist- 
ance goes to the extreme of resisting nothing — not even 
wrong and injustice. This extreme interpretation of non- 
resistance leads to the attitude of utter indifference — the 
very worst feature of negativism. It accepts, absolutely 
and with no qualification, the principle, "Whatever is, is 
best." In regard to the errors and shortcomings and 
weaknesses of one's own nature, it puts forth no effort 
toward improvement. Its indifference toward error and 
injustice may become so pronounced as to amount to the 
same thing as sanction of error and injustice. This con- 
ception of non-resistance strikes at the very roots of 
growth and development. It leads to inertness of the most 
formidable type. It sanctions and encourages a tolerance 
that i,s beyond reason and good judgment. It is directly 
opposed to development of manhood and manly powers and 
virtues. Thus, it leads away from the possibility of God- 
hood. 

This misconception is so subtle and delusive that it 
is making rapid inroads upon the minds and the hearts 
of the people. It is an easy road to travel, calling for no 
effort whatever — easy because it is a downhill path. It is 
attended, nevertheless, by dangers unforeseen and unsus- 
pected. And, ere he is aware, the one who travels this 
path is plunged into perilous situations, from which he is 
scarcely able to extricate himself. 

Since this misconception in regard to the law of non- 
resistance is so delusive and leads to such errors, is it 
any wonder that the alarm is being sounded? Is it any 
wonder that those who comprehend the disastrous results 
of this misconception are doing all in their power to avert 
the ill effects of this promulgation? Let nothing be done 
or said to cast a reflection upon the reality or the impor- 
tance of the law of non-resistance. There is such a law. 
^lore than this, it is one of the most important expres- 



THE WAY TO GODH00D 151 

sions of the Divine Law. The effort that is being made is 
to avert the errors growing out of an extreme misconcep- 
tion in regard to the meaning of the law. 

The harmony that exists between the laws of resist- 
ance, non-resistance, and justice can best be made clear 
through the use of illustrations. 

Suppose, walking down the street, you see a human 
brute abusing a child or a defenceless woman. Holding 
to the extreme view of non-resistance, your reflections are 
somewhat after this fashion: 'None of my business, this. 
Hach individual is free to do as he pleases. What i,s it 
to me? Am I my brother's keeper? Am I judge as to 
who deserves abuse? What law gives me right to deal 
out justice or punishment to the guilty?' 

With these reflections you pas A s by. But how can 
there be manhood in this disposition of the difficulty? 
How can there be a conscience pure and undefiled? By 
allowing the abuse of helpless ones to continue, you be- 
come party to the abuse. By offering no resistance, you 
sanction injustice and cruelty. Is this the part of a true 
man? Is this the part of courage and true manliness, 
"to pass by on the other side," leaving innocence and help- 
lessness to suffer ill treatment at the hands of the cruel 
or the irresponsible ? No, a conscience that satisfies it- 
self with the motive of non-resistance under such condi- 
tions is a conscience that has withered and dwindled away 
from non-use. Through inertness and stagnation, it has 
lost it,s power to prick and sting. It has made a god of 
indifference and non-interference with others. In many 
instances, non-interference is a virtue to be highly com- 
mended. But, in the case of cruelty to the helpless when 
it lies within one's power to prevent, it is far from being 
commendable. He is worthy indeed of bearing the form 
and the figure of a man, who dares to rebuke criminal 
acts and to succor the defenceless and the needy. We 



152 THE WAY TO" GODHOOD 

may be ourselves powerless for rendering help; but, in 
that case, we can at least call the attention of one who 
is in a position to exercise control over abuses. 

The law of non-resistance is perverted in the conclu- 
sion that we are not our brother's keeper. To exercise no 
concern in regard to the welfare of another, even though 
he be an enemy or a stranger, is carrying the principle 
of non-resistance to unreasonable extremes. The strong 
man finds satisfaction in the thought that he \s qualified 
to be, in measure, his brother's keeper. He counts it an 
honor to his manhood to be entrusted with the right and 
the privilege of helping and serving others. His sense of 
justice and right cannot bear the ,shock of seeing the help- 
less abused or ill treated without offering protest. To pass 
injustice by without protest belongs to the errors and mis- 
conceptions connected with the law of non-resistance, not 
to the law itself. The law of non-resistance honors the 
standard that, under reasonable limits, we are our brother's 
keeper. 

The law of injustice includes man's relation to the 
animal kingdom as well as the human. As in the case of 
his neighbor, man's attitude toward the animal kingdom 
depends upon his disposition of the law of non-resistance. 
With many, there seems to be a conflict between the law 
of justice and the law of non-resistence. The law of jus- 
tice demands protection of the helpless. The extreme 
view of non-resistance sanctions indifference and non-in- 
terference with the actions of others. Abuse and injus- 
tice toward one of the animal creation calls for rectifica- 
tion. An unreasonable view of non-resistance conflicts 
with the standard of justice and says, 'No, non-interfer- 
ence is best.' Those who accept the unreasonable view 
ignore cruelty to animals. Seeing a seeming conflict be- 
tween the standard of justice and non-resistance, they 
choose the left-hand path, that of negativeness and indif- 
ference. 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 153 

It is the duty of the strong to protect the weak. Any 
interpretation that excuses the strong man from this obli- 
gation strikers at the very roots of strength and manhood 
in his nature. To exerci,se strength, to turn it to good 
account in the protection of the unfortunate, to demon- 
strate manliness and courage in favor of the needy — this 
and this alone gives man the right to strength. Under the 
iron law of nature, through non-use, power and manhood 
forfeit their right to existence. The hand that refuses to 
perform the duties of a useful hand, preferring to hang 
idle and useless from the shoulder, ceases to be a hand 
that is capable of usefulness. Likewise, the individual that 
exalts the standard of non-resistance to the extent of re- 
fusing to live a life of usefulness and activity among men, 
(refusing to protect *he needy a,s opportunity ! affords* 
loses the power of usefulness and manhood. Through 
loss of manhood and manly virtues, he forfeits the possi- 
bilities of Godhood. And let it be remembered that man- 
hood is the gateway to Godhood. 

There is no reason for our being unduly zealous in 
observing occasions of cruelty toward others. It is not 
for us to go out of our way in search of injustice and 
roal-treatment. Guardianship over others is not a thing 
to be coveted for its own sake nor for selfish purposes. 
Generally speaking, punishment of injustice does not be- 
long to man. Not punishment of the guilty, but protec- 
tion of the innocent, is the point under consideration. The 
principle that deserves emphasis ijS that man shall not 
shrink from his duty nor shirk responsibility when duty and 
responsibility are plain. To do so means weakness. It 
does not pay to hide behind the cloak of deference to the 
law of non-resistance. 

Thus far, our illustrations have had to do with the 
principle of non-resistence in connection with other than 
ourselves. What about the law of non-resistance in its 



154 [THE WAY JO GODHOOD 

bearing upon ourselves? Are there erroneous, unreason- 
able views of the law in its application to the individual 
himself ? 

To be sure, there are grievous misconceptions of the 
law in its bearing upon individual growth and develop- 
ment. It has already been pointed out that failure to 
meet the conditions of manhood and strength when the 
law of justice calls for active succor or protection of 
ethers results in weakness to him who so fails to do 
his duty. It remains to be emphasized that weakness is 
the reward of hirn^ who exalts the law of non-resistance 
to unreasonable limits in regard to his own personal 
growth and development. 

By many, by those who exaggerate the law to extreme 
proportions, the attitude of non-interference is taken to- 
ward one's own weaknesses and shortcomings. A reason- 
able degree of patience is commendable. But patience 
that reaches the limit of ignoring defects when effort 
would have removed them has passed beyond the bound- 
aries of a virtue. In the case of many who are eager in 
the cause of soul development, the methods of develop- 
ment are so negative as to border close to non-resistance 
itself. Even prayer may become so passive as to be in- 
effectual. Something more positive than "Nevertheless, 
not my will but thine be done" is demanded in gaining 
the victory over uprisings of the carnal nature. In human 
nature generally, strenuous and persistent effort and posi- 
tive watchfulness are demanded, to withstand the possi- 
bility of being overtaken by a sudden outburst of anger or 
jealousy or some other manifestation of carnality. He who 
lapses into the state of indifference or non-interference 
has already lost ground in regard to self -mastery. 

The ambitious soul aims at mastership, mastery over 
himself. Mastership demands zealous care, constant 
watchfulness, a powerful will, and an active, positive at- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 155 

titude of mind. Remarkable power of resistance is his 
who has attained self-mastery to any appreciable degree. 

There are other aspects of the law, however, in its 
application to ourselves. If a thief enters our house with 
intent to steal that which is ours by right of honest ef- 
fort; if wayfarers trespass on our grounds, trampling un- 
der foot grass and flowers, destroying fruits for which we 
have labored; if neighbor's cattle break their bounds and 
devastate our fieflds, damaging our sun-kissed crops; if a 
servant in the home proves faithless and pilfers both 
coin and produce — under such conditions as these, as well 
as many others that may arise, is there nothing to be 
done by way of self-protection? Under such circum- 
stances, does the law of non-resistance conflict with the 
standard of justice toward ourselves? 

No, non-re,sistance is not to be identified with non- 
interference under such circumstances as these. Non-in- 
terference, under ,such conditions, brands one either as 
weak and cowardly or as ignorant of the law. If one 
hides behind the screen of non-resistance in his disposi- 
tion of such difficulties, he classes himself among those 
who honor not the law, but a misrepresentation of the 
law. He in whom remains one ounce of manhood must 
leaTize that non-interference is but to injure those who 
are injuring us by their trespass and outrage. If it falls 
within our power to prevent the thief from taking that 
which is ours, prevention is a kindne,ss to him. To offer 
no resistance to that which is a positive injury to our- 
selves, other things being equal, is a positive injury to the 
cne who would cause us injury. To allow another with- 
out resistance to take from us that which is ours, is to 
te party to the thievery. What we owe to another, we 
owe also to ourselves. If we are responsible for pre- 
venting crime against another when within our power, we 
are also responsible for preventive measures in the case 
of attempted wrong to ourselves. 



153 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Again, what disposition is to be made of the law of 
non-resistance in the attitude of the parent toward the 
child? Of the school master toward those under his care? 
Of the employer toward the workman in his shop? Is 
the law of non-resistance here to be identified with the 
principle of non-interference? Is there a conflict between 
the standard of justice and the principle of non-resist- 
ance? The child in its innocence is liable to encounter 
danger. It is liable to fall into* wayward habits, detri- 
mental to itself. At times, it is in need of reproof and 
correction and careful guarding. Is the parent's authority 
to be hampered by an erroneous conception of the law of 
non-resistance? The boy in the school room, possibly the 
youth within college walls, is forming habits that are de- 
cidedly detrimental to his own welfare. Shall the teach- 
er, under a false impression of the virtues of non-inter- 
ference, leave him unrestrained when possibly a heart-to- 
heart talk concerning the error of his ways would set him 
aright? The clerk at the counter, the accountant at the 
desk, the salesman on the road, may be laboring under 
tension or under a temptation peculiar to his temperament. 
Let the employer open his eyes to the personal needs of 
him who is under his employ. Let him give word of 
cheer, advice, or rebuke according to need, rather than 
screen himself behind the weak excuse of non-resistance. 

The principle of action is twofold. It affects both 
the doer and the receiver. If one injures us, by that very 
act, he also injures himself. For this reason, it is right 
for us to prevent wrong-doing to ourselves if it lies with- 
in our power so to do. So exact is the law of justice, 
however, that, if another intentionally harms us and we 
are ignorant of his deed and undeserving of harm, the 
deed reacts upon the doer harmfully, while we reap bene- 
fit therefrom. To permit wrong doing with indifference, 
is to cause weakness and loss to him who does the wrong. 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 157 

It makes him weaker rather than stronger. Whoever adds 
to the weakness of another, to that extent does him an in- 
justice. No matter if one's excuse is righteous non-inter- 
ference with others, it is an injury to the one whom he 
might have helped. 

The prevalent misconception regarding the law of non- 
resistance has its origin in a desire for purity of heart 
and conscience. Under circumstances that (prompt re- 
sistance or interference, the elements of ill-will and im- 
patience easily creep into the heart; retaliation and re- 
venge often are uppermost in the motive. This fact has 
led to the feeling that resistance in itself i,s wrong. The 
spirit of ill-will and bitterness pricks the conscience and 
stings the soul. To obviate this difficulty and to secure 
purity of conscience, has led to the belief that resistance 
and interference with the actions of others is a sin. Thus, 
non-resistance, in the sense of indifference and non-inter- 
ference with the actions of others, has come to be viewed 
as a virtue. This has been thought to be the only type 
of non-resistance that gives the consciousness of a pure 
heart and a clean motive and a clear conscience. 

The fact that there \s a pricking of conscience indi- 
cates that something is wrong. But — and this is the point 
to be emphasized — not resistance is wrong, nor interfer- 
ence, but the ill-will that accompanies resistance and in- 
terference. Nbt prevention is wrong, but the spirit back 
of preventive measures. The censure and the condemna- 
tion and the impatience and the bitterness that attend 
prevention — this is wrong. The fact that there is prick- 
ing of conscience indicates that something needs to be 
eliminated. The error has been in thinking it right to 
eliminate resistance itself, rather than the bitterness and 
the ill-will that attend resistance. 

Non-resistance demands the elimination of bitterness 
£nd revenge ancl hate and every form of ill-will from the. 



158 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

heart of him who resists. The Divine Law sanctions re- 
sistance against error and crime. It ^sanctions preven- 
tion of wrong. The Law sanctions effort, will-power, and 
self-mastery. Interference with others when circumstances 
warrant, it also sanctions. A reasonable degree of con- 
trol and authority over others when one's relation with 
them permits, also receives the sanction of the Divine 
Law. But, always and everywhere, the Law demands the 
elimination of every type and description of ill-will and bit- 
terness and revenge toward those with whom we deal. 
This is the feature of non-resistance that must be em- 
phasized and re-emphasized. 

Let us prevent suffering. Let us rectify wrongs, and 
obviate error and ignorance and crime. Let us succor the 
needy, and protect the helpless, both in the animal king- 
dom and in the human. Let us administer justice as op- 
portunity affords. Let us put forth every effort to 
strengthen the cau.se of right. Let us live an active, posi- 
tive, useful life among men. But let us do all in the 
spirit of love. 

The law of non-resistance demands that no thought 
of hate, no thought of revenge, shall creep in as the mo- 
tive of our act, but that only the thought of right and 
justice shall be the base of our action. Non-resistance ap- 
plies to the spirit of action rather than to action itself. 
The regeneration of society demands powerful resistance 
against the inroads of error, ignorance, and crime. But 
equally true is it that the regeneration of society demands 
that the spirit of love ,shall prompt every resistive meas- 
ure. 

Men of strong intellect and superior ability are de- 
voting their lives to the cause of peace and arbitration. 
They are actively engaged in educating public sentiment 
in favor of peace principles. They scatter literature broad- 
cast advocating measures that prevent war and bloodshed, 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 159 

They plead with congresses in favor of passing bills which 
support the amicable adjustment of difficulties. In the 
life of him who is actively, definitely, zealously engaged 
in promoting peace principles and in preventing war and 
carnage, where does non-resistance come in? Just here — 
lie does what he does in the spirit of love and kindness. 
He kicks not against the pricks. He does not force his 
plans upon others. If his preventive measures are de- 
feated, he harbors no grudge or antagonism against hi,s 
opponent. In that he 'labors in patience and is preserved 
in the spirit of love and charity, he honors the law of non- 
resistance. 

The prevalent misconceptions in regard to the law 
have brought it into great disrepute among strong, right- 
minded men. In its false representation, the law encour- 
r.ges cowardliness and weakness. In its negative, destruc- 
tive aspects, the law cultivates in a man the spirit of in- 
difference toward reform and betterment of society. No 
wonder that true, noble manhood spurns the doctrine of 
indifference! Rightly understood, the law of non-resist- 
ance must appeal to every true, strong, noble-minded man 
and woman. It honors manhood and strength. In a two- 
fold manner, it honors strength and courage — the strength 
and courage to act, and the strength and courage to main- 
tain sweet-spiritedness in the midst of action. The force 
that might have been squandered in negative, destructive 
thoughts of ill-wi'll are to be turned to active use in the 
cause at hand. Thus, strength and force and courage are 
both intensified and purified. The fact that non-resistance 
is identified with indifference and non-interference an4 
non-prevention, has brought the doctrine into disfavor 
among men and women of noble mind and heart. That 
non-resistance means the spirit of love as basis of resist- 
ance and prevention, will bring the law into favor with 
noble-hearted men and women, 



160 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

The law of non-resistance in this sense i,s in perfect 
accord with the New Commandment. Passivity and in- 
difference in the midst of error and wrong i^s not a trait 
of manhood. Activity and effort toward the betterment 
of self and others, accompanied by the spirit of love — this 
is a trait of manhood that leads to Godhood. 

The law of non-re,sistance would eliminate, from all 
preventive measures, the desire to "get even with" or to 
"get ahead of another." When the heart is free from re- 
sentment or ill-will and one puts forth effort again,st er- 
ror, ignorance, and sin, he is not resisting evil in the sense 
of kicking against it; he is simply preventing evil, and 
promoting the cause of justice and right. If our attitude 
toward wrong doing is based on the thought of punish- 
ment merely, or of dealing out justice to those whom we 
consider deserving of the hand of justice, then, our atti- 
tude is not sanctioned by the true law of non-resistance. 
Obedience to the law of non-resistance demands that our 
desire ,shall be for justice and righteousness and for the 
betterment of him whose ways we would rectify. If our 
mind is tinctured with revenge and resentment and ill- 
will and the desire to "get even," we are not fit subjects for 
exemplifying the standard of justice. 

What about punishment, by the state, of the so-called 
criminal? 

It would be difficult for any one to prove that the 
system of punishment as carried out at the present time 
has the sanction of the Law of God. Who can success- 
fully maintain that it is free from hate and revenge? Sel- 
dom is the criminal punished on the merits of his deed 
alone. More often he is punished because of the hate 
and (Suspicion and fear of society generally. 

There is a law of punishment — a law that operates 
through every department of nature. It is not according 
io man-made code. According to man-made law, the 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 161 

criminal is punished FOR his sins. According to natural 
law, he is punished BY his sins. This principle — that 
man i,s punished by his wrong doing, by his own ignorance, 
error, and sin — must be recognized by the state, before a 
just system of dealing with criminals can be establish- 
ed. 

Wrong doing is to be ascribed to one or both of two 
causes. Either a man does wrong in ignorance of the 
laws of life or he doe,s it because he is held by abnormal 
tendencies. In either case, the remedy is the same. Little 
ground is there for thinking that he is benefitted by con- 
finement in a place unfit for human habitation, wherein 
body and mind and soul are stunted, wherein every par- 
ticle of manhood and divinity in his nature is destroyed? 
If the cause of his crime is ignorance, he need,s instruc- 
tion and training. If the cause is abnormal tendencies, 
he is, likewise, in need of instruction and training. Pris- 
ons should be turned into centers, from which men come 
forth stronger and better than they went in. Instead of 
this, they come out hounded creatures, from which every 
shred of manhood has been taken. 

Boast as we may of the superiority of the upper class- 
es of society over the lower strata, it remains a fact that, 
in every human being, there are traces of superstition, of 
ignorance, of ignoble or even criminal tendencies. But 
some are more ignorant than others. Some have stronger 
tendencies toward wrong doing than others. These are 
called criminals. It is only a matter of degree. The 
criminal is worse than the more favored. 

Life on this earth is our school. If the ignorant and 
criminally inclined were given the advantages of an in- 
stitution that combines in its methods the elements of 
workshop and of school, they would imbibe better ideas 
of life, as well as learn a useful trade. Men who serve 
&s teachers in such an institution, coming in dose daily 



162 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

contact with abnormal personalities, would have occasion 
constantly to apply the principle of non-resistance. Non- 
resistance, in the jSense of indifference, passivity, and non- 
interference, has no place in the lives of such men. But, 
of non-resistance in the sense of charity, patience, and 
sweet-spiritedness, they require a generous fund. Such 
non-resistance in the midst of activity has its sure re- 
gard. 

When the correct idea of non-resistance has become 
established in the hearts of men, a transformation of so- 
ciety will have taken place. Manhood will be the ideal. 
On right and on left, manhood will be the accepted stand- 
ard. 

"Be a man that thou mayst be a god." 



CHAPTER SIXTEEN 

The spirit of chivalry and fairydom is constructive in its 

effects. 

Another feature of negativism is to condemn fairy- 
tale literature and every appeal to the fanciful and the 
picturesque. 

In the age when fairy tales, stories of the spirits of 
nature, the fairies of flowers and of woodland, were the 
rule, culture and manhood and chivalry and perfection 
were at their height. When Greece was at the zenith of 
its power, when it was a nation of true manhood, when 
culture had reached its highest estate, at that time, its 
philosophy wajS free from elements that are unwholesome 
and destructive in their effects. 

In the present age, alas, only a small percentage of 
our children are conversant with the fairy tales that glad- 
dened childhood in the ancient days. Instead of the beau- 
tiful, soul-inspiring tales of fairydom, we have accounts 
of unclean spirits and demons — stories which arouse 
thoughts of suspicion and superstition and fear. This ten- 
dency has reached its highest possible point in the stories 
of malicious animal magnetism of a certain school of 
philosophy. 

It is a noteworthy fact that, in every age of the 
world, the religion, the philosophy, and the stories for 
childhood harmonize perfectly. Folk lore aind nursery 
rhymes and ditties all reflect the quality of sentiment en- 
tertained by the elders. Ta'les and fabulous accounts of 
bea,st or woodland sprite, formed to please the fancy of 
childhood, reflect the spirit of the national religion and 
jphilosophv. 



164 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

Greek literature preserves for us a collection of nar- 
ratives concerning gods and goddesses. A multitude of 
gods and goddesses, their religion embodied, a ,superior 
household of divine beings. Classic myths and legends of 
the palmy days of Greece serve not only as a means of 
preserving their philosophy and religion, but as a means 
of preserving the splendor of their literature for child- 
hood. 

The effect that a nation's religion and philosophy has 
upon its adherents is the ultimate test of its quality and 
character. 

For example, note the Greek religion and philosophy 
and the effect upon Greek ideals and standards. To all 
outward appearances, it was a religion and a philosophy 
of polytheism — in reality, a religion and a philosophy of 
the utmost deference to the One Supreme God, ruler over 
all. In their conception of gods and heirarchies, there 
was nothing more unnatural than there is in the idea of 
one supreme ruler over a nation or a country, with an 
extensive retinue of sub-officers and subordinate pow- 
ers whose function it ^s to exercise authority and domin- 
ion in the department over which they are placed. There 
is no evidence that the Greeks considered all the gods as 
THE God. Nor is there any evidence of their believing 
in polytheism. The individual gods and goddesses were 
varying expressions or manifestations of the One Great 
Deity, the One Great Power or Force of Nature. The 
gods and goddesses were hierarchies over the different 
departments of nature. They represent different forces; or, 
to express the thought more accurately, they represent the 
One Great Force functioning in different ways and in 
different channels, while the One Supreme Being is the 
Power or the Being that is, has been, and ever shall be. 

In harmony with this doctrine of the Greeks con- 
cerning rulership, is the divine ideal placed before man 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 165 

'for his attainment — the standard of manhood and indi- 
viduality and personal responsibility. Thi3 ideal of 
^strength and character demanded physical power and en- 
durance. Therefore, perfection of body was the basis 
on which must be built the superstructure of noble and 
beautiful character. Consequently, a part of their time 
and attention was devoted to the requirements of the hu- 
man form, to exercises, athletic games, swimming, bath- 
ing, and other features. Nothing wa,s overlooked in their 
desire that the body might reach the highest state of per- 
fection. Considering weakness and disease as indications 
of abnormality, the Greeks put forth unbounded effort to 
free themselves from weakness and disease of every type 
and dscription. A beautiful figure, perfect physique, 
grace of movement and 'motion, as \welj as muscular 
strength and endurance were sought not merely because 
they are in themselves desirable, but especially because 
they are the natural basis of noble character. 

The Greek ideal of cosmogonic rulership and their 
ideal of manhood and bodily perfection became chizelled 
into the form of a national literature, embodying the qual- 
ities of elegance, refinement, and strength. For the ma- 
ture mind, there were philosophic treatises and literary 
creations, exalting nobility and refinement of character. 
For childhood, there were myth,s and legends and fairy- 
tales, calculated to guide the child mind step by step to 
an appreciation of the national religion and philosophy. 
A nation of athletes, a nation that exalted nobility of 
character, as well as attractiveness of physique, a nation 
of culture and refinement — at its height, the Greek nation, 
in its life and character, reflected credit upon the national 
religion and philosophy. 

Later, in history, we have the tales of chivalry and 
the ideals of knighthood to satisfy and stimulate the ma- 
ture mind, and fairies, myths, and legends of a pure type, 



166 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

as incentives to childhood. These reflect a normal and 
wholesome mind. Only the normal, healthful mind can 
create and execute literary inventions of this class. Noth- 
ing weak and flabby finds place in this type of literature. 
Heroism, strength, and nobility are everywhere honored. 
Truth of the highest and purest type is clothed in fanci- 
ful designs, and in rich, perhaps even gorgeous, yet pic- 
turesque coloring. Knighthood and heroes signify as- 
pects of truth. They represent strong qualities and vir- 
tues protecting and guarding the soul in its struggle for 
supremacy over error and wrong. 

Fairies, myths, and legends serve a far more exalt- 
ed purpqse than merely to please the fancy. Like the 
parable and the allegory, they clothe truth and make ab- 
stract ideas tangible. Childhood is the age of imagina- 
tion. It is the age^.that pictures and paints in glowing 
colors and in startling details. Yet, underneath its pic- 
turing, is a vein of truth. The fancy of childhood is 
alive with expectancy and imagination. Td the fchild, 
flower, tree, animal, stone, is a living creature capable of 
pleasure and joy, of change and motion. Fairies are the 
souls of flower, plant, animal, and stone. Water and 
woodland, grove and meadow, valley and plain, mountain 
and hillside are peopled with the fairy creations of child- 
hood. When the minds of the elders are filled with tales of 
gods and goddesses, creatures ideal in their power, strength, 
nobility and beauty, is there any wonder that literature, 
art, and song reflect beauty? 

When you find a people that believes in the goodness 
cf God, and in the goodness of the ruling powers, in the 
divine heritage of man, the desirability of life on earth, the 
possibility of joy and happiness, then, you find a nation 
that is normal and healthy both physically and mentally. 
Jhe children of that nation are of healthy minds — minds 
not filled with tales of evil powers that infest the night 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 167 

time. They are children who do not fear to enter the 
woodlands alone, as do our children. To the children of 
today, the woods are filled with evil powers, cruel beings, 
and demons, hostile to childhood. But to the child in the 
land where manhood rules, where a constructive religion 
and philosophy is taught, woodland and field are the play- 
ground of angels, gnomes of the earth, guardians of tree 
and plant and shrub. In all these, the child sees something 
beautiful, something desirable and uplifting. Though he 
may scarcely be conscious of it, he sees in the beautiful 
fairy of the flower the soul of its Maker and the handi- 
work of the All Creator. 

What a contrast between the two ages ! What an un- 
desirable heritage is that of the child when destructive 
negativism holds sway and an unnatural and wholly untrue 
materialistic teaching has taken everything desirable out of 
life! 

The average child of today does not even enjoy the 
games that once delighted youth and added health and 
strength to body and mind. Its tendencies are toward a 
sedative study, which accomplishes nothing. In far too 
many ca,ses, the thoughts are poisoned by secret vices 
which one child teaches the other at school or on the 
streets, tales of vices which do not even exist and are not 
possible. Vices that do not exist are twisted in the telling 
until they form pictures of greater destruction in the child 
mind. Say what we will, these things are facts. Pass- 
ing through a crowd of boys and girls ranging from six 
to twelve, we hear them talking of subjects that would 
shame their elders because they are unnatural and abnor- 
mal. 

Yet we boast of the fact that we are living in an age 
in which children know better than to believe in absurd 
fairy tales, know better than to believe in Santa Claus, and 
jhe Easter rabbit. We boast of the fact that our children 



168 THE WAY" TO GODHOOD 

no longer believe that a fairy has its home in every flower, 
that the woods are peopled with nymphs jolly and full of 
fun. Of these things, we boast, forgetful that the minds 
of our children are peopled with entities of some sort if 
not beautiful creations, kings and queens of fairyland, then 
demons and monsters of vice and crime. Thoughts are 
creatures that people the mind. The thought of love and 
kindness is a beautiful, heaven-born fairy. Thoughts of 
vice and ugliness are monsters of destruction. 

We think only in symbolism. Each thought is a form, 
each thought is a creative entity. Thought of the tree, of 
the flower, or the shrub that we admire, is a creature 'like 
that of which we think. It is an entity.. Men created the 
word well when they called thoughts fairies. 

As time passed, men became inclined toward a doc- 
trine and a philosophy of weakness instead of one of 
strength. Naturally, their thoughts turned toward idle- 
ness and the desirability of ease and non-effort. They re- 
garded labor as degrading and undesirable, and ea.se and 
luxury as the only things worth while. Gradually, in place 
cf tales of beautiful gods and goddesses, in place of dreams 
cf heroes and chivalric knights and winsome maidens, in 
place of fairydom with its kings and queens of splendor, 
ever standing ready to grant the fondest wish of the duti- 
ful child, the minds of men become peopled with monsters 
and demons and devils and every description of taunting 
creatures destructive and revolting. Since the age of fairy 
and fable has passed away, literature and art and ,song 
reflect morbidness of mind and unhealthful ideals and 
standards. 

With negative, destructive thoughts and the desire to 
live without honest toil, men began to create and to formu- 
late methods for binding the evil entities that peopled their 
minds. From that day to thi,s, we have a class of men 
"who toil not, neither do they spin," but who live on the 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 169 

best of the land, not because they have earned it by honest 
effort, but because the many are slaves while the few 
are owners of slaves, because they have been enabled 
through their negative, destructive philosophy to bind the 
multitudes. They have taken from men and children the 
heroic god,s, the fairies of the flowers, the nymphs and 
innocent sprites of water and land. From man, they have 
taken heroism, individuality, power, glory. Demons, evil 
influences, evil entities, they have given him. His imagina- 
tion, they have peopled with evil and destructive horrors, 
with tortures and distresses. Instead of being ,surrounded 
by angelic presences and supernatural powers and forces 
of goodness and protection, he is haunted by grim mes- 
sengers of fear and torture, products of a perverted imag- 
ination and a troubled conscience. Weakness and disease 
and a belief in the undesirability of life, they have given 
him. Through these influences, they are holding the mul- 
titudes in slavery — a slavery that is, however, unconscious 
and willing. 

But the new age with its doctrine of manhood has 
come. Every effort is being made to replace in the minds 
of men emphasis upon manhood, heroism, and individual- 
ity. The desirability of manly courage and positive ef- 
fort is receiving due emphasis. As love and good-will sup- 
plant ill-will and vice, the minds of men will come to be 
people with beautiful creations. In time, the rrund of man 
will become ,so pure that soul vision shall be his; and, 
with purified and clarified vision, he shall see the lovely 
queen of the flowers, and the spritely nymph of wood and 
meadow. Again shall the child gain freedom from thoughts 
of vice and evil; and the morbid will have no attraction 
for him. Men will understand better how to train the child 
and how to make conditions suitable for his growth. Where 
nature and normal conditions govern, evil and destructive 
tendencies cease to exi,st. 



170 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

The New Commandment brings the doctrine of man- 
hood, the desirability of life, the privileges of godhood 
and joy and happiness, the right of earthly possessions 
through honest effort. It brings to man the gospel of 
health and ,strength. It exalts heroic deeds, the right of 
the strong to protect the weak, the possibility of being 
free from hate, from anger, from jealousy and every form 
of malice. The right to seek love, the right to love and 
be loved — this the New Commandment teaches. Happiness 
that is won in this world, joy that is known here and now, 
is but the beginning, the path, the gate, of the greater joy 
and happiness in the next world. Unless he finds peace 
and contentment now and here, he will not be qualified to 
enjoy it on any other plane. The New Commandment is 
the gospel of freedom, of strength, of possession. It is 
the gospel of a healthy body, but it is also the gospel of 
the Immortal Soul, the privilege of man to become the 
Son of God. It is the gospel of Sonship with the Father, 
cf Godhood for him who seeks it in the power of man- 
hood. 

It is freely admitted that there is what is called the 
evil or the negative side of nature. It is freely admitted 
that there are evil entities, and there have always been 
such entities and influences. They existed even in the 
golden age of glorious Greece. But it i^s also claimed 
beyond the possibility of successful contradiction, that, 
when man is healthy and normal, strong and godlike, when 
the mind is free from hate and malice and envy and re- 
\enge, these poisonous entities affect him not. They are, 
to the pure mind and heart, what the poisonous mush- 
room is to the sun. The t sun rises and shines upon the 
mushroom, and the mushroom shrinks away and is no 
more. The sun feels not the evil or the poisonous effects 
thereof. To the sun, it is a,s though the mushroom had 
not been. Likewise, to the healthy, normal man, the evil 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 171 

entities and influences that come in contact with him either 
pass quickly away or they shrink and wither and are no 
more. 

The mind of man is so constituted that it cannot be a 
vacuum. It must be occupied continually with some 
thought. Either it is a thought that ^s constructive and 
conducive to health and strength and power and creative 
ability or it is the reverse. 

In the universal mind, like the mind of the individual, 
a certain type of thought holds sway. Its prevailing 
thought may be along lines of health and strength and man. 
hood and individuality, including honor, heroism, love, 
joy, happiness, and righteous possession — the FAIRY type 
ot thought. Or the prevailing thought may be of disease, 
cf weakness, of the undesirajbility of life, the evil of joy 
and happiness, the unreality of existence on the earth 
plane — the DEMON type of thought. 

It is for man to choose. As to what his choice has 
been throughout the ages, literature records. With unerr- 
ing accuracy, literature and art and song preserves the 
thoughts that have held sway in the minds of men. 

Give us the age of heroic gods, of the One All Pow- 
erful, All Creative God over all. Give us the age of chiv- 
alry, the age of fairydom. Take away the age of demons 
and evil entities and malicious thought force. 

Give us the age of manhood, the age of strength and 
achievement. Take from us the age of weakness, and of 
imbecility. The age of night, take from us, and give us 
the age of light. 



172 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 



CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 

Manhood or degeneracy, which ? 

In the past gradually, but in the present very rapidly, 
are men awakening to the fact that creeds and philosophies 
of the negative type have been the ba,se of life and that 
they have been leading the race to degeneracy. 

These doctrines, which have emphasized the undesira- 
bility of life, the sin of earthly loves, and the corrupting 
influence of material possessions, have spent their force. 
The world has reached a crisi,s. It is a question as to what 
is to be the result. It is to be hoped there will be a turn- 
ing of the way, a giving up of the old doctrines and phil- 
osophies, and the adoption of a code of ethics that teaches 
manhood — manhood strong and virile, above all else. 

It is not intended to convey the idea that negative phil- 
osophies have had in view degeneracy of the human race. 
Far from it. But the fact that their negative principles 
have influenced the lives of the multitudes, the fact that 
they have been the base of life and action, makes them re- 
sponsible for the tendency toward degeneracy. 

Conventions are being held from time to time all over 
the civilized world in the interests of race betterment. But, 
without exception, the blame is wrongly placed. The rem- 
edies suggested are even worse than useless; for they 
would be destructive to mankind as conditions now are. 
Eugenics and sexual hygiene are given prominent places 
in the programs of these conventions. 

That eugenics and sexual hygiene are important fac- 
tors in race betterment i,s not to be denied. But eugenics 
grafted tQ the present creeds and philosophies in their 



174 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

negativeness would bring forth fruit that would utterly 
dismay those who advocate them. First of all, it is neces- 
sary for social and economic conditions to be changed; for 
eugenics and sexual hygiene can accomplish nothing until 
the fundamental doctrines of life to which the vast multi- 
tudes hold are basically changed. Of what use is race 
betterment if men believe that life is an evil? Of what 
use are the teachings of eugeniqs if men hold to the be- 
lief that the body is an enemy to the soul? Without ex- 
ception, such ideas as these have been taught by the old 
creeds. And he is looked upon with suspicion who dares 
to teach true manhood as the base of all things. 

When men believe that this life is undesirable and 
that death is good because it gives entrance to a blessed 
state in the hereafter, is it to be supposed that they are 
working for race betterment? Is it to be supposed that 
they are interested in developing the physical being unto 
perfection so that it may last beyond the three score years 
and ten presumably allotted to man? Ha,s not the world 
been taught, during the past centuries, that the body o£ 
man is the repository of evil? Have we not been taught 
that a strong, vigorous body is the direct enemy to the 
soul because, in the strong body, there are many passions 
which lead the ,soul astray ? Not in so many words per- 
haps, but in principle at least, we have been taught that 
illness and disease are not something to be shunned and 
avoided and to be overcome, but, on the contrary, that ill 
health in no wise interferes with our journey toward bliss. 
Men have even gone so far as to claim that an illuminated 
soul may dwell in a diseased, corrupt body. Indeed, what 
is there in our philosophies to lead to the thought that the 
state of the body has anything whatever to do with the 
state of the soul? 

Suppose that, for eighteen hundred years, the race had 
been taught that in order to- have a perfect soul it was 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 175 

necessary, first of all, to have a perfect body — a body nor- 
mal, healthful, and strong — think you that an abnormal 
outcry in favor of eugenics would now be necessary? 

Suppose, during these same centuries, the race had 
been taught that the All Father sanctions honest labor, 
that He honors honest accumulation of worldly goods for 
the sake of the fruits of righteousness thereof, think you 
that beggarism would be prevalent, on the one hand, and 
that, on the other hand, those called saints would be eat- 
ing the fruit of other men's labor? Would this be pos- 
sible? 

If our religion and our philosophies had taught us, 
during these centuries, that jstrict obedience to the laws of 
health is the foundation of spirituality; if they had pro- 
mulgated the principle that perfection of body is essential 
to Illumination of Soul, think you that misery and weak- 
ness and degeneracy would now be the common lot of 
man? These conditions would exist only in a limited de- 
gree if our philosophies had not been fundamentally 
wrong, if man had not been taught for centuries to glory 
in weakness, in poverty, and in idleness. During the past 
centuries, the pendulum of thought has swung to the ex- 
treme of emphasizing spiritual welfare to the utter neglect 
of physical welfare. Now the swing of the pendulum is to 
the opposite extreme. And reformers are becoming wild 
in their enthusiastic desire to bring about changes and to 
make regulations for the betterment of the physical status 
of humanity. 

Man is a twofold being. And the New Commandment 
teaches that each side of his nature must receive equal at- 
tention. Each is equally important with the other. We 
must teach the doctrine of manhood; but, in so doing, we 
must not forget the doctrine of Godhood. He who aims 
at manhood's true estate without the ideal of Godhood 
will become sjmply a healthy animal, He may, indeed, bq 



176 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

far worse than the animal in the field ; for his shrewd brain 
is able to think of acts of which the animal in its natural 
state would not be capable. 

It is generally admitted that the human race, except 
where civilization has not yet penetrated, in many respect,s 
is fast degenerating. So nearly universal is this that men 
seldom even so much as think of it. If the race is to con- 
tinue, a halt must be called in this degenerating process. 
Degeneracy cannot be checked by passing laws concerning 
eugenics and sexual hygiene, for the reason that the con- 
ditions aimed at by teaching eugenics are effects and not 
causes. To suppress an effect is not to cure a cause. It 
is like damming up a ,stream that is continually accumulat- 
ing. The original outlet may be stopped; but there will 
result a new outlet, and the new is worse than the old. 

In order to remedy race degeneracy, we must go to 
the root of the difficulty. The New Commandment main- 
tains that the root of the trouble is to be found in an er- 
roneous view of life, an erroneous philosophy and religion, 
erroneous standards and ideals. 

Show man that life is desirable, that, unless he lives 
on earth and fulfils his duty without grumbling and with- 
out complaint, there can be no future happiness and peace 
for him. Show him as a fundamental fact that, as is the 
body, so will be the soul, that it i,s impossible for a strong 
well-developed soul to abide in a body that is poisoned con- 
tinually by disease and corrupt habits. Show him that his 
duty on earth is to be a creator, to work, to accumulate 
in a natural manner, and to enjoy the fruits of his labor. 

Show him that labor, instead of being a shame, is act- 
ually for the glorification of the soul. Labor gives health 
and .strength to the body, and keeps the mind occupied 
and free from morbidity. Convince man that he has a 
right to health, joy, and happiness. Let him see that de- 
nial of health, joy, and happiness is not an indication of. 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 177 

soul supremacy, that it is rather a sign of weakness of 
soul and los v s of manhood, and speaks not of kinship with 
the Father. 

First and foremost in the needs of humanity is to have 
health laws incorporated into its religion. This is a funda- 
mental need; and, unless it is done, the race will .continue 
to decline. Without physical health and vigor there can- 
not be the highest degree of spirituality. A strong physical 
foundation is necessary to the attainment of absolute Son- 
ship with the Father. Sonship can only be in accord with 
the degree of manhood. Unless it is generally recognized 
that health is a condition of true spirituality and that the 
health code is on a par with the moral and ethical code, 
the race cannot attain the ideal of full manhood. Men 
must recognize that perfection of body, which is the temple 
of the living God, i|S of equal importance with perfection of 
soul. Health and strength of body gives a place to man 
that is very necessary for the highest degree of Soul Illum- 
ination. 

Our religion must teach that manliness and manly 
powers are the means of physical regeneration. Our re- 
ligion must make clear as a fundamental basis the principle 
that welfare of body is not antagonistic to welfare of soul. 
Sad indeed, to think that countless millions have neglected 
the physical being and its powers so that there has resulted 
in the race a general decline. 

These points in particular, the New Commandmnt 
teaches. It does not, however, stop with health laws, but 
includes as laws of life all things that enable man to be 
at his best both in respect to the physical being and in re- 
spect to the soul. Human nature is the foundation of 
human acts. As such, it is in no wise evil nor destruc- 
tive to the soul. But the mind of man should be so normal 
and so healthy as to be able to recognize the difference be- 
tween a desire that is good and constructive and one that 



173 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

is harmful and destructive. The mind should be so health- 
ful as not to be a slave to those desires which can injure 
either body or soul. 

It is to be greatly regretted that degeneracy is re- 
sulting from the erroneous philosophy of life which has 
held sway in the minds of the people. Religion has been 
made a thing apart from other interests. We have been 
taught that the soul is all that counts. And men have 
laughed at the idea that one's mode of living and one's 
habits and one's work have anything to do with religion 
or with the religious life. But the world is fast awaken- 
ing to different ideas. We are beginning to realize that 
this earth life is a school and a training, that care of the 
body is as important as care of the soul, and that the labor 
of man is as truly a part of religious life as is develop- 
ment of soul. Advance is being made in the right direc- 
tion. The doctrine of manhood and strength is fast taking 
hold of the minds of men. A religion that honors the 
body equally with the soul, a religion that guide,s and con- 
trols instinct rather than suppresses it, is absorbing the 
interest of thoughtful men. Race betterment is a laud- 
able work; but race betterment can never be brought 
about through suppression of desire, nor through ignoring 
the value of physical perfection. 

Desire for physical perfection is no indication that 
man worships the flesh. It is rather an indication that he 
desires to become all that he should be. Desire for earthly 
possession i,s by no means an indication that man desires 
not Illumination of Soul. It rather indicates a desire to 
have that which belongs to him in order to make the most 
of life. Desire for strength and power need not indicate 
that man would use his strength in forcing the weak to 
obey his commands. Desire for strength and power is a 
desire to honor God in whose image man is created. De- 
sire to perform useful labor in no wise signifies lack of cul- 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 179 

ture. It is rather the desire to be a continual creator like 
the Father. All these things are part of the true man. 
These de,sires should be a part of the soul. They should 
be a part of the religion of the people. 

Which is it to be? A religion with manhood as its 
foundation, teaching progressive growth of both body and 
soul? Or is it to be a religion of negativeness and decline 
and degeneracy? Which is it to be? 

Force and compulsion cannot bring about gradual de- 
velopment of manhood. Compulsion accomplishes nothing. 
The race must be educated to higher ideals and standards. 
The ideal that manhood, strength, and possession, joy, 
happiness, and a Godly life are desirable must be instilled 
into the individual mind, and, ultimately, into the race 
mind. A strong and mighty desire must be created for 
these very things. Nothing can be done for self-better- 
ment or for race betterment until a strong desire for bet- 
terment is created. Let thi,s desire be deeply grounded 
and rooted in the life of the race. Let it become the 
foundation upon which our children build their lives; and, 
within three generations, there will be a race of men such 
as the world has never seen. 

The following principles must be instilled into the 
minds of men: 

In order that man may become the son of God, in 
order that he may be Godlike, he must round out his true 
nature. He must become, fir.st of all, MAN, in the true 
sense of the word. Manhood must be a 'companied and 
followed by the use of his powers in working, in creating, 
in accomplishing. He must truly act like a prototype of 
the All Father, the Creator of all things. The life that 
man lives here on earth is the life that must be taken 
up again on the next plane, when the soul picks up the 
thread of being after having thrown off the body. The 

next life i,s but a continuation of the present, 



180 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

When these ideals have become established in the 
hearts of men, it will be safe to teach mankind eugenics 
and sexual hygiene. For, then, these sacred sciences will 
act as an incentive to the true and holy life; whereas, 
under present ,standards, they would act as a means of re- 
pressing natural instincts, only to create new and worse 
channels of satisfaction. 



CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 

"Your Own Will Come to You"— if You Work for It. 

"Your own" indicates possession. There is but one 
source of power. For the individual, that source begins 
and ends in possession. This being a fundamental truth, 
it follows that, in order to possess power, it is necessary 
to come into connection with the source of power; and all 
possession must be through right methods and principles 
if it is to be lasting. 

In order to possess "y° ur own" — the opportunities and 
the power that belong to the normal man — it is necessary to 
obtain health. This is not an easy matter if one has lived 
a life that was fundamentally wrong, a life that was neg- 
ative in all its features; for, the desires and the thoughts 
being negative, the whole being i,s held in bondage. The 
philosophy of the weak and diseased man is always wrong. 
This is a fundamental proposition. That his philosophy 
is wrong is shown in the fact of his having poor health. 
Fundamentally, one's philosophy of life is responsible for 
one's state of health. As a man's philosophy, so is he — 
that is, as is his real belief, not the philosophy that he pro- 
fesses before men and claims to represent, but that which 
he believes within his heart of hearts. And, mind you, 
the vast multitudes believe something, way down within 
themselves, of which they are not aware; and it is this 
inner belief which is the essential factor of their life. 

The average man may claim to have no religion. Ap- 
parently, his claim is true. Yet deep down within him- 
self he is bound as with cables of steel to the religious 
philosophy of his progenitors. And the philosophy to 



182 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

which he is bound is of the negative type, claiming that 
the body of man is his enemy, and that, in order to kill this 
enemy and its desires, it is best to make a slave of the 
body and to ignore its interests, that the body, existing at 
best for only a short time, is of little worth, and that the 
weaker the body and the more racked with pain, the great- 
er is the soul. The man is scarcely conscious of believing 
these things. He makes no claim to believe them. Ap* 
parently, he does not believe them. Yet those ideas are 
born with him. They are the very foundation of his exist- 
ence. And he proves it, proves it daily, not only in the 
results of his life, but in the manner of his living. In or- 
der to gain possession of "his own," the true, normal, nat- 
ural man, first of all, pays strict attention to health and 
strength. To do 'thisj demands normal, natural '/living. 
It demands carefulness in regard to the habits of daily 
life. It demands something more than the routine of ris- 
ing in the morning, eating breakfast, going to work, eating 
lunch, going to work again, eating dinner, smoking, or 
going to a place where idle gossip or play is the rule. Such 
a routine is not the natural life. It is not the life intended 
by the All Father. It is not the life that make,s a man 
strong and efficient and Godlike. Though in business the 
man who lives such a life may be what seme call "pos- 
itive," though he may be feeling less toward his fellow 
men, toward women and children, and may exploit them at 
every opportunity, nevertheless, his i,s a negative life. He 
knows not what good health is. He knows not happiness. 
He knows nothing of joy or peace of mind. 

The true life of man is a double life — the life of the 
material and the life of the soul. To such a man, exist- 
ence meains more than eating, sleeping, {working. To 
him, it means living, and living is a fine art. 

First of all, the man who is zealous in securing pos- 
session of "his own" adopts a scientific or systematic 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 183 

mode of living. Each day has its round of observances 
which serve as the outline or skeleton to be filled in and 
rounded out by duties and pleasures more or less flexible. 
The morning bath is indispensable, in order to free the 
body from the poisons that accumulate during the night. 
If the body is not thus cleansed, these poisons are re- 
absorbed by the system. The bath must be followed or 
accompanied tby breahing exercises which free the in- 
ternal body of the poison^ therein. This is all-important; 
for upon the cleanliness of the lungs depend the strength 
and the power of the material being. A third exercise 
equally important with physical cleanliness furnishes food 
and stimulus and freedom for the soul — a ,silent individual 
service to God, which should take the form of prayer or a 
Sacred Mantram held in the heart. This draws the soul 
near to God, frees the mind and heart of negative condi- 
tions, and stimulates mind and heart for the duties of the 
day. 

_The complete life — the life that causey "its own" to 
come to it — recognizes both body and soul, and considers 
each equally important with the other. Such a life will 
eventually realize the highest degree of success. For the 
service of the soul to its Maker, no church is really neces- 
sary; for it is in the privacy of the room, in the privacy 
of the heart, that true service takes place. The time is 
not far distant when every man, the head of every fam- 
ily, will have a private room in his own house, to be used 
a? a temple of prayer and worship for himself and his 
household. 

Following these three services, which aim at physical 
and spiritual cleanliness, man is ready to minister to the 
demands of the appetite. This should be with food fit for 
the gods, simple, clean, wholesome, — food that supplies 
nourishment and strength as well as satisfies the taste. 

Nor should one turn immediately from the breakfast 



184 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 

table to business duties and cares. A walk in the open air 
with deep breathing will charge the blood with vivifying 
qualities, which are necessary to fit one for the day's 
labor. The labor of the forenoon, whether physical or 
menial, should be thought of as wholesome and, in every 
respect, beneficial to one's welfare. Labor is a glory to 
mind, heart, and soul, as well as a stimulus to bodily 
health. 

As the breakfast, so should be the lunch, chosen not 
only to satisfy the taste, but to satisfy the real needs of 
body, mind, and soul: Then is man ready for further la- 
bor. Labor being finished for the day, he should see to it 
that he and his family enjoy some wholesome exercise, 
after which follows the evening meal. Then comes rec- 
reation and pleasure, whatever will cheer the heart and 
the soul of himself and of those dependent on him. 

It is to be hoped that the time \s not far distant when 
the ancient rule will be followed, when the twenty-four inch 
gauge will be divided ino three parts and will be strictly 
adhered to, one part for labor, one part for rest, one part 
for recreation. No man should be forced to work more 
than one third of the day. No one, except under special 
circumstances, needs more rest than one third of the day. 
He does, however, need that much and should see to it 
that he has opportunity for that amount of re,st. Every 
individual — man, woman, and child — requires the other 
third for the needs of the spiritual being and for recreation 
and pleasure. This ancient guage of life is the normal, 
natural division of time for man. 

While man is on the earth it is necessary for him to 
have regard for the body as the dwelling place of mind and 
soul. The mind should be clear and rational in its oper- 
ations. The soul should be as free as possible from taint 
and blemish and from the poison of negative thought con- 
ditions. Unless the body i,s healthy and strong and normal, 



THE WAY TO GODHOOn 185 

the individual is more or less handicapped in every direc- 
tion. No man can reach the highest degree of success, 
who neglects the body. It is for this reason that he who 
aims at true success must give first attention to physical 
strength and vigor. It is for this reason that he who aim^ 
at Soul Illumination and Sonship with God must give first 
attention to physical needs. The body is the foundation 
o' the soul, and the soul cannot be at its best unless the 
body is at its best. A strong, healthy body makes it easy 
for the mind to be clear and to think consecutively and 
logically. Health of body makes it easy to think construc- 
tive thoughts, to THINK, and then to BUILD, success. 

The possibilities of success are greater than they have 
ever been in the history of the world. Everywhere, there 
is a demand for men. But they must be men in the true 
sense of the word, men of strength and not weaklings, men 
whose mind,s are free from malice, hate, and destructive 
thoughts. They must be men whose minds are clear, men 
who recognize the fundamental fact that if they do not 
succeed it is not because some one is holding them back, 
not because some one has power over them, but simply 
because they are slaves to weakness, to misconceptions, 
slaves to the belief that others are holding them back and 
that others are interfering with their desiny. 

Men must gain freedom from the idea that a few men 
control the world. They must recog'nize that health, 
power, strength, possession, are the inheritance of all men, 
and that if they do not possess these things it is because 
they do not take advantage of the opportunities that are 
held before them continually. 

Note the difference between two men. Here is one 
who is weak and far from perfect in health, but his mind 
is filled with theories. He may have an understanding 
of fundamental laws, but he does not make use of them. 
This man is well educated; nevertheless, when it comes to 



186 THE WAY TO GODMOOD 

the race of life and the survival of the fittest, he is sadly 
handicapped. Here is another man who may not have the 
education, but has physical strength and endurance and a 
great fund of wholesome thought and courage. He is able 
to step in and do things. He know,s not fear. Nor does 
he shrink from responsibility. In the race of life, this 
man stands a better chance than the former. 

The race of life is to the strong. It is to those who, 
being normal, t see with clear vision. It is to them because 
they have the courage and the power, because they are in 
possession of that which helps them to pass others with 
a bound. 

But because man is weak is no reason he should re- 
main weak. It is his duty, aye, his privilege, to leave 
weakness behind, and to gain strength, health, and courage, 
step by step, until perfection is his. At first, this requires 
great courage. All new beginnings require courage. As 
one takes the first ( step in the right direction and refuses to 
turn back, he receives strength and courage for the next 
step. And, if he continues to refuse a backward step, the 
goal eventually will be health, strength, and power. 

In the struggle for possession of "his own" — be it 
what it may, whether possession of health and strength, 
happiness, love, peace, or material treasures — there is al- 
ways the enemy to be met. This enemy is fear. No 
sooner is man ready to leave the old way for the new than 
fear steps in and bids him halt. 

Fear reasons thu,s : To give up the old is to reap con- 
demnation. The old, the negative is right. To seek bodily 
strength and earthly treasures is to lose the soul and to 
miss the reward. Possession i,s wrong. It is better to 
be a slave, slave to want, to disease, to weakness, to pov- 
erty, to the exploitation of others; for this is to gain the 
kingdom of heaven — after death.' 

This is the old enemy to possession, the enemy that 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 187 

lias held in bondage vast multitudes for centuries. The 
enemy, fear, includes ignorance, bigotry, and the desire to 
do nothing. On account of obedience to this cruel enemy, 
we have the woe and the misery that are everywhere ap- 
parent: on the one side, the vast multitudes, which are 
exploited by the few; on the other, the few who exploit 
men, women, and children — and all for what reason? Sim- 
ply because men — or beings in the form of men — have 
listened to the old destructive philosophy, which has taught 
man that, in slavery, there is salvation of soul, and that 
slavery is the gateway to the kingdom of heaven — after 
death. 

Free yourself from these shackles. Look life in the; 
face. Look at it unflinchingly. Defy the evil in it. Fol- 
low the right. Follow the path to strength, to possession, 
to happiness, to peace and joy. Follow the path to man- 
hood, no matter what the old tempter within yourself may 
say. Follow the path to manhood though the , enemy 1 
may try to convince you that the path will lead to destruc- 
tion. Once you take a determined start in the path of 
manhood toward Godhood, you will gain strength, you will 
see with clear eyes, you will realize that it is good to live, 
and that life is, in every respect, desirable, that honest 
possessions bring joy, power, influence, which may be used 
in the cause of right.. 

One of the most formidable of the negative principles 
is this: "Your own will come to you." One of the most 
inviting of the positive principles is this: "Your own will 
come to you if you work for it." 

Without doubt, the doctrine that your own will come 
to you has been the cause of more failures, more suffering, 
than all others. For it puts a premium on doing nothing. 
It exalts folding one's hands and waiting, believing that 
what is to be will be, that if we are to have something 
we will get it, either with effort or without effort, here 



188 THE WAY TO GODHO'OD 

being no difference whether we make effort or not. 

Truly "our own" — that which we deserve — will come 
to us. And if we live a negative life, idle and listless and 
effortless, nothing is due us, and that very thing — nothing 
— will be sure to come to us. Man receives what he earns. 
If he takes that which he does not earn, it will be snatched 
from him through the power of the immutable law of jus- 
tice. 

Man is placed on the earth with a mission. He has 
been given the right and the privilege of choice. Further- 
more, he has bfen given the power to get what he chooses. 
But the stipulation is made by the law, that whatever he 
chooses will not come unless he makes the effort to get it. 
// he makes the effort, fearing nothing, dauntless and full 
of courage, allowing nothing to turn him aside, waiting not 
for better opportunities or for a more favorable time, he 
will get what he wants. "His own;" his cherisheed am- 
bition, will be his. 

Failure to possess "one's own," one's desired treasure, 
is due either to fear or to a false philosophy. Fear pre- 
sents itself in many shades and degrees — fear of failing, 
fear of being wrong, fear of this and that. A false phil- 
osophy teaches man that if he is to have a thing he will get 
it, come what may; and the result is, he makes no effort. 

The true man brushes aside both fear and a false 
philosophy of life. He knows that nothing will come to 
him unless he earns it, unless he puts forth effort. He 
knows that he is co-creator with God. He knows that if 
he wants a thing he must get it, that God gives man noth- 
ing, but that man must take what he wants and that if he 
would keep what he takes he must get it justly. 

To be interested in something is not enough. It is 
absolutely necessary for our interest to be so intense that 
we shall not give up until we attain our wish, no matter 
what may come. Neither poverty nor fear will prevent us 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 189 

from attaining it. The desire to do is the power to do, 
but the WILL to do must be present also. 

Your own will come to you when you want it badly 
enough to be willing to work for it. Your own will come 
to you when you are willing to demand it, to work and to 
demand until you have it. Wishing is by no means enough. 

These are fundamental laws. That they are abso- 
lute is amply proved by the great successes in life. Men 
born in poverty have achieved. A desire to accomplish, a 
willingness to work, to slave, if necessary, and an indom- 
itable will to surmount all obstacles, have made successes 
of men who had apparently little chance in life. 

It is by surmounting difficulties and obstacles that man 
gains strength. Every barrier overcome means power. 
All barriers, all obstacles, give way when man says, "I 
will." He who does not give up, not even if death itself 
appears, will overcome even death in his dauntless search 
for the thing he desires. 

The New Commandment advocates a natural, normal 
life, a life that leads to manhood's true estate. It ad- 
vocates that manhood is necessary to the attainment of 
Godhood. It teaches that soul growth, an active de,sire for 
Soul Illumination, and an effort to attain this, i,s necessary 
in order to reach Illumination of Soul, and that Manhood 
must go hand in hand with Soulhood and Godhood. 



OTHER IMPORTANT BOOKS 

ALL THESE ARE TEMPLE OF ILLUMINATI PUB- 
LICATIONS 

THE SON OF GOD. 

Called the Mystical Teachings of the Masters. This 
book gives a summarization of the fundamental prin- 
ciples of the Christie Interpretation and the charac- 
teristics of thej Christie Law, as advocated by the 
Temples of the Illuminati and Illumination. The 
teachings of the Essenes under whom Jesus studied, 
etc. Price in cloth, 50 cents; in paper covers, 25 
cents. 

CHRISTHOOD AND ADEPTSHIP. 

Christie power can be awakened only though obe- 
dience to the Divine Law. When we obey the Divine 
Law, then will the Christ Child be born within us ; and, 
if we continue in the Way, this child grows to man- 
hood and enters into power. This is one of the first 
text-books of the Christie Interpretation series. 
Bound in beautiful cloth, side stamp in gold, 75 cents. 

SOUL SCIENCE AND IMMORTALITY. 

The standard text-book of the Illuminati. It is uni- 
versally admitted among scholars that we are on the 
Threshold of a new Dispensation. This means that 
we are expecting a new Law that shall govern all 



THE WAY TO GODHOOD 191 

things. To state this more correctly, we are expect- 
ing a New Interpretation of the old Law, an In- 
terpretation that is at once practical and mystical. 
This book gives such an Interpretation. More than 
200 pages, beautifully bound in cloth, side and back 
stamped in gold. Price $1.50. 

THE MYSTICAL INTERPRETATION OF ST. JOHN 

This is a complete and exhaustive Mystical Inter- 
pretation of the Gospel of St. John, so well called 
the Philosopher of Love. Contains 53 Chapters or 
Lessons, beautifully bound in cloth, side and back 
stamped in gold. Price $1.25. 

THE CHRISTIC INTERPRETATION OF ST. MAT- 
THEW. 

This is a complete Interpretation of the Gospel of 
St. Matthew. Contains 73 lessons, 265 pages. It is 
the most complete book of its kind. Beautifully 
bound in cloth, side and back stamped in gold. Price 
$1.25. 

CHRISTISIS. 

The standard text-book on Higher Soul Culture. 
Students who have this book say that it is the best, 
clearest, and most practical book that they have been 
able to find. It is beautifully bound in imitation 
leather, side and back stamped in gold. Price, $5.00. 

Any of these books will be forwarded on receipt of 
remittance. Catalog giving exhaustive description of the 
contents of these books will be mailed with pleasure. 

The Philosophical Publishing Co., 

Allentown, Pa, 



192 THE WAY TO GODHOOD 



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